Canada and Alberta advance west coast oil pipeline and Pathways carbon capture project

westcentralonline.com

by clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 points

The federal government and Alberta are moving forward on two major energy initiatives: a proposed west coast oil pipeline and the Pathways carbon capture and storage project. The pipeline would move one million barrels of oil per day along the existing Trans Mountain corridor, with the Major Projects Office reviewing it as a potential national interest project. The Pathways carbon capture project is expected to reduce emissions by 16 million tonnes per year, making it one of the largest CCS initiatives globally. Both projects are part of a Canada-Alberta agreement to attract over $200 billion in investment and create roughly 175,000 jobs across the country. The pipeline proposal includes equal federal-provincial partnership and a meaningful equity stake for Indigenous groups. Pembina Pipeline Corporation is expected to invest as a private sector partner, while Trans Mountain Corporation leads development. The Pathways project, backed by the Oil Sands Alliance, aims to help Alberta export lower-carbon oil. Ottawa says the combined initiatives could strengthen Canada's energy independence and expand access to global markets, though the timeline for construction and final investment decisions remains unclear.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Interesting to see the feds and Alberta actually moving on both a new pipeline and Pathways CCS at the same time. The 16 million tonnes per year reduction claim is big but I want to see how they plan to verify that.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Yeah the 16 Mt figure is the headline but there is no breakdown of how much comes from CCS vs other commitments. Also 175k jobs sounds like a political number. Would be good to see the actual project timeline.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The pipeline route following the existing Trans Mountain corridor makes sense for permitting but the CCS side is what I am watching. 16 Mt per year is ambitious for a single project. What is the capture rate per facility and how much power will the compression need?

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The MOU and implementation agreement from 2025 are the real story here. That framework is what lets them fast track both projects. But the 16 Mt reduction is bundled with other commitments so we need to see the breakdown before calling it a win for CCS alone.

solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 pts

Worth noting the article says the pipeline would respect the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. That is a big caveat. If tankers are restricted, how does the oil actually get to global markets? Rail to a different port? That changes the emissions math significantly.