At Capital Power, we’re powering a sustainable future for people and planet. Our dedication to this purpose drives our innovation at the Genesee Generating Station where we are executing our decarbonization strategy including repowering to natural gas and advancing plans for carbon capture, utilization and sequestration. We’re excited to share details about the important work happening at this site where dispatchable base-load generation will power Alberta’s low carbon future.

Execution of monitoring, measurement, and verification (MMV) plans provide surveillance activities that ensure the safe and reliable operation of a CO2 sequestration project throughout the project lifecycle. Measurement and monitoring of the injection facilities, geological sequestration site and surrounding environment provide assurance that CO2 is confined to the storage complex (containment). Verification refers to the comparison of measured and predicted performance and is used to ensure sequestration sites are operating as predicted and permitted (conformance). The MMV plan is developed in response to identified risks, develop mitigation measures, and to fulfil regulatory requirements.

Our goal is to create a fit-for-risk monitoring system that optimizes data usage from different sources. This will enable real time reporting and optimization and facilitates integration into our reservoir model, to provide the most complete picture of plume migration and anticipated subsurface conditions.

However, there are multiple challenges that present themselves during the optimization process not least the large spectrum of measurement technologies with different measurements and depth of investigation. These include, but are not limited to, geophysical, in-well, geochemical, atmospheric, marine, and fluid metering monitoring technologies and techniques. Understanding the applicability of each technology to a given project and providing a plan that allows for full adherence to regulatory requirements and maintaining full integrity of the storage complex whilst also delivering the most cost-efficient solution is critical to the development of an economic CCS storage project.

An additional challenge is the large volume of data generated during the monitoring process. For example, a permanent fiber installation for microseismic monitoring may generate Terabytes of data per day which in turn can limit the amount of data that gets properly analysed or the turnaround time with which it is evaluated. Novel applications of AI/ML driven techniques to analyse and highlight data for further interrogation and significantly reduce the volume of data being transferred will become extremely valuable to better utilization of the acquired information.

Overall, we focus on the optimized selection of measurements with a Value of Information (VOI)/risk management driven approach. This process also includes optimization of injection and monitoring well placement which becomes paramount for large scale storage hubs with multiple wells of each type.

With this presentation we will demonstrate that we can deliver the most robust cost effective MMV solution that provides the critical License to Operate (LTO) and full adherence to regulatory requirements whilst optimizing technology deployment and minimizing costs for the project throughout the lifecycle.

Pipelines are a crucial part of the global effort to decarbonize the energy industry. While CO2 is a common component in the hydrocarbon mixtures produced in the oil and gas industry, it has significantly different properties when pumped as a standalone fluid in the supercritical state. Many materials used in the existing and newly constructed pipelines experience challenges when used for the supercritical CO2 service. Flexible steel pipe is the pipe technology that solves these challenges in pipeline construction, operation, maintenance, and risk management. This presentation will describe the distinct advantages of flexible steel pipe that enable fast, reliable, long-term, and safe construction of new pipelines and rehabilitation of the existing pipelines. The ability to repurpose the existing pipelines and convert them from a liability into a valuable and economically feasible network of CO2 pipelines is the primary advantage of flexible steel pipe. The excellent tensile capability of the product allows for pulling up to 2-3 km at a time which requires minimal excavation of the existing pipeline sections. The high-pressure capability and corrosion-resistant properties of the HDPE-based flexible steel pipe provide a brand-new pipeline with a pressure rating higher than the host pipe and a 20+ year design life. The ability to install flexible steel pipe with minimum resources reduces the Right-Of-Way requirements and simplifies the installation of the new pipelines to the CO2 emitters historically not connected to the energy pipeline network. The longer spoolable flexible steel pipe sections require less equipment and personnel for pipe deployment, which makes the construction safer. The composite structure of the flexible steel pipe addresses the risk of rapid crack propagation pertinent to carbon steel pipelines and minimizes the risk of catastrophic pipeline failure in case of a leak. The simplified integrity management for the technology significantly reduces the operating expenditure for the project and reduces the chance of human error during pipeline inspection and maintenance. The presence of the designated annulus space in the flexible steel pipe presents the opportunity to verify the integrity of the pipeline on demand or run real-time annulus pressure monitoring for leak detection. The simplified integrity management requirements and the inherent leak-detection capability further de-risk the CCUS operations for the owner, the communities, and the environment. During the presentation, we will review several case studies that demonstrate the advantages of flexible steel pipe technology and the benefits realized by the operators.

As a collaboration within a collaboration, Exergy, Carbon Management Canada, and Norda Stelo will present their collective journey on a multi-phase, multi-year, national, cross-sectoral industry initiative advancing carbon capture. With industrial leaders from across sectors including power, unconventional oil and gas including oil sands upgrading, petrochemical, fertilizer, steel, cement, pipeline, gas processing, and mining the triumvirate will discuss how this leading-edge national initiative came to be, what has been learned, and where it is going. With an initial clear-eyed focus on reducing the cost of capture, this initiative evolved over time serving as a platform for multi-model learning through research, technology provider insights, leading-edge analyses, and experience of the industry industry participants themselves. The knowledge bar session will discuss the collective learnings from this on-going initiative both in terms of the elements of a successful industrial collaboration as well as important technical and operational insights for any leader considering capture regardless of where they are on their journey. This important session reflects the objective of the collaborative itself, which is to tackle critical barriers in order to enable and accelerate the broad deployment of carbon capture across the country regardless of sector or size.

Heidelberg Materials is committed to cumulatively capturing and storing 10 million tons of CO2 by 2030. Our Brevik plant is in construction, and 7 other large CCUS projects are in various stages of development around the world. The Edmonton CCUS project development started in 2019, and is on track for a final investment decision in Q2-2024, which would allow the first CO2 to be captured and stored before the end of 2026. This project will use a post combustion amine capture system, coupled with a combined heat and power facility that will provide the heat and power required to run the capture process and the kiln processes, while exporting 70MW of low emission electricity to the local grid. The capture plant’s capacity to treat the flue gas from the kiln and the combined heat and power plant, in combination with kiln alternative fuels that contain biogenic carbon allows this plant to produce the world’s first net-zero carbon cement without purchasing offsets. The project is being delivered as a number of separate scopes utilizing a 2-stage competitive procurement process, in order to maximize engagement of local energy contractors and their capability, while achieving cost certainty in a competitive environment that ensures value. Long term on site piloting of the competing capture technology vendors has recently started, and will reduce the risk associated with the plants specific flue gas contaminants.

CanaGas has developed a large type-4 pressure vessel for the intermodal transport of gaseous fluids such as liquefied CO2. Three large tanks fit inside of an intermodal shipping container. The maximum capacity is 30 metric tonnes; however, to meet the road weight limitations in North America (using a three-axle chassis), approximately 25 MT would be carried. The advantage of the CanaGas system is that the transport modules are intermodal. So, CO2 can be transported for sequestration by truck or rail. Moreover, no chilling of the gas is required to make it liquid, just compression. At 50 bar and 25 C, the cargo will be nearly all liquid. The 100-Bar transport modules are designed to transport HDPE; however, on the back haul, the same transport modules can also transport liquid CO2 for sequestration. No cleaning of the tanks is required between loads.