Shell Launches Commercial Operation of Quest Carbon Capture and Storage in Alberta Oil Sands

Shell marked the official opening of the Quest carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Alberta, Canada and the start of commercial operations there.  Quest is designed to capture and safely store more than one million tonnes of CO2 each year—equal to the emissions from about 250,000 cars.  Quest was made possible through strong collaboration between the public and private sectors aimed at advancing CCS globally.

Using activated amine (ADIP-X), Quest will capture one-third of the CO2 emissions from Shell’s Scotford Upgrader, which turns oil sands bitumen into synthetic crude that can be refined into fuel and other products.  The CO2 is a byproduct of the production of hydrogen, which is used to upgrade the bitumen.

The CO2 is then transported through a 65-kilometer pipeline and injected more than two kilometers underground below multiple layers of impermeable rock formations.

The Storage zone is a formation called Basal Cambrian Sands (BCS).  It features multiple caprock and salt seal layers.  No significant faulting is visible from wells or seismic analysis. The BCS is well below hydrocarbon-bearing formations and potable water zones in the region.

Quest is now operating at commercial scale after successful testing earlier this year, during which it captured and stored more than 200,000 tonnes of CO2.

Quest has a robust measurement, monitoring and verification program agreed upon with the government and verified by a third party (Det Norske Veritas (DNV)).

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