Alberta to Rely Heavily on Carbon Capture and Storage in Oil Sands for 50% Cut in GHG Emissions by 2050

The Canadian province of Alberta will use carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a major component of a proposed plan to cut projected greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050.

Alberta’s GHG reduction commitments. Click to enlarge

Alberta’s emissions are projected to grow to 400 million tonnes by 2050, largely due to forecast growth in the oil sands sector. Alberta’s new plan will cut the 400 million tonnes in half by 2050, with much of the reduction coming from oil sands activities.

New and next generation CCS technologies will deliver about 70% of the new plan’s projected 200 megatonne-reduction by 2050, according to the government, with the bulk of those reductions coming from activities related to oil sands production. Up to C$500 million could be directed towards these initiatives, including allocations through the Canada ecoTrust and the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund.

Alberta will establish a government-industry council to develop a made-in-Alberta plan for carbon capture and storage. It will respond to a federal-provincial task force report on carbon capture and storage and will deliver a strategy for implementing the technology that will include consultations with industry.

This technology will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands production. This will help us continue to green our growth in that sector.

—Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology

About 12% of Alberta’s reductions will be achieved through conservation and energy efficiency. Offering consumer incentives to become more energy efficient is a key action under this theme. A detailed implementation plan will be completed this spring.

The plan calls for increased investment in clean energy technologies and incentives for expanding the use of renewable and alternative energy sources such as bioenergy, wind, solar power, hydrogen and geothermal energy. Initiatives under this theme will account for 18% of Alberta’s reductions. A detailed implementation plan will be developed and released this spring.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Green Car Congress