Rocky View County has the potential to become home to one of Alberta's most important carbon capture projects.
During the Rocky View County (RVC) Public Presentation Committee meeting on Jan. 15, Technical Services Director for Inter Pipeline, Tim Moran, presented on the Bow Valley Carbon project to council. He clarified that the purpose of the presentation was not to seek approval, but to raise awareness about the ongoing progress with the project.
Inter Pipeline was awarded the pore space, also known as a hub, to develop potential carbon capture and sequestration opportunities in Rocky View County and Mountain View County.
In 2022, the Government of Alberta initiated a competitive bidding process to support carbon sequestration activities across the province. As a result, twenty-six hubs were awarded throughout Alberta to help advance the province's decarbonization goals.
Inter Pipeline was awarded rights to evaluate 105,700 hectares northwest of Calgary, a location which falls mostly in RVC with some in Mountain View County.
“We don’t have the right to inject; right now we have the right to evaluate the pore space for sequestration,” Technical Services Director for Inter Pipeline, Tim Moran, emphasized during the committee meeting.
The Cochrane Extraction Plant (CEP) is located within this hub space.
“One thing unique about our opportunity here is that 10 per cent of our emissions currently come from a process where we extract CO2 in its near pure form; so therefore, we are ready to use CO2 as part of the first phases of this project because it is already there,” Moran shared.
A major cost barrier is the capture portion of CO2, but Inter Pipeline already has that available and ready to use.
“We’re planning to put the first proposed well directly adjacent to our facility, so once it’s done it will blend in with other facilities in Cochrane,” Moran stated.
There's three conceptual phases of the process; the evaluation phase, the sequestration phase, and the closure phase followed by a post-closure phase.
The sequestration process will be the longest phase, which requires CO2 to be injected into the formation. In the last phase, the CO2 sequestration will be monitored.
For the short term, “we will be able to submit an application to drill the well in this evaluation phase to confirm the characteristics of the formation… [to see] what the CO2 will be able to do when we inject, “ Moran said.
In early 2025 stakeholder consultation and engagement will begin with sequestration well drilling to commence in the summer of this year.
Division 2 and Deputy Reeve Coun. Don Kochan inquired whether Redwater and Fort McMurray, where Inter Pipeline already operates, currently have carbon capture capabilities in place, including the shell plant in Fort Saskatchewan.
Moran clarified that those facilities have the same type of abilities as natural gas extractions, but they aren’t undergoing carbon sequestration, but the Redwater facility is only owned by Inter Pipeline and operated by another company.
However, the plant at Fort Saskatchewan does carbon capture.
“I was trying to [make] a point that carbon capture is occurring in the province and you're trying to bring that technology to the Cochrane area,” Kochan stated.
Moran added that it is a proven technology and has been implemented by Shell and other operators in different areas on various scales.
Division 1 Coun. Kevin Hanson was interested in learning if there are bigger plans to become the hub, and what the future might look like.
“Will additional pipelines be built to transport CO2 into this injection facility?” he asked.
“The future would be similar to a normal oil and gas field development, depending on where the emissions are being captured, where they are coming from, the zone and how much it can accept,” Moran explained.
He added, over time, additional pipelines will be built with the development.
Moran added, in response to committee questioning, future developments in this facility will have more to do with the physical ability to service the hub in partnership with contractors, who will provide their services when the opportunity arises.
Division 5 Coun. Greg Boehlke wondered if some dry well holes might be able to be converted to carbon sequestration through the project.
“If you were to go on private land then would you pay lease payments for that,” Boehlke asked, adding, “what about an existing well, if there was a dry hole, could you use [it]?”
“Yes, same as other oil and gas facilities,” Moran confirmed, but he also shared that, “in our hub, there are two existing holes, but not one that we could use.”
Division 3 Coun. and Reeve Crystal Kissel said she had no doubts personally about the project as someone who lives nearby.
“I live literally across from [the plant]... I know how you operate and I also know you're a very good neighbour,” Kissel concluded.
Cochrane Extraction Plant (CEP)
Inter Pipeline purchased CEP in 2004. It is located on the western leg of the TC Energy’s System.
“It’s designed to extract a maximum amount of liquids before exiting the province to keep the value added within the province and not downstream,” Moran said.
The plant produces ethane and propane plus, with daily production reaching 65,000 barrels of ethane. Then, ethane is sent through a pipeline to another facility where it is used in the production of polypropylene, a key material for making non-toxic plastics. Similarly, CEP processes propane to produce polypropylene for the same purpose.
Moreover, CEP produces 35,000 barrels of propane plus per day. It goes down another pipeline in the Edmonton area for further fractionation to produce propane, butane and pentane plus products.