The Canadian federal and provincial governments have identified carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) as a major component of their strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This report offers a review of CO2 storage projects in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), discusses the CO2 storage resources in the WCSB, identifies knowledge gaps, and suggests strategies for future CCUS deployment. Among its recommendations, the report suggests that for Canada to transform the energy system and meet our net-zero targets, particularly using hydrogen and CCUS, CO2 storage projects must be accelerated, with a focus on areas that have already been partially de-risked through past studies or are lower-risk due to the presence of existing infrastructure.
Review of Carbon-Dioxide Storage Potential in Western Canada: Blue Hydrogen Roadmap to 2050
About the Authors
David Layzell, PhD
Transition Pathway Principal
David B. Layzell is an Energy Systems Architect with the Transition Accelerator, a Faculty Professor at the University of Calgary, and Director of the Canadian Energy Systems Analysis Research CESAR Initiative. Between 2008 and 2012, he was Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE), a cross-faculty, graduate research, and training institute at the University of Calgary. Before moving to Calgary, he was a Professor of Biology at Queen’s University cross appointments in Environmental Studies and the School of Public Policy), and Executive Director of BIOCAP Canada, a research foundation focused on biological solutions to climate change. While at Queen’s he cofounded a scientific instrumentation company called Qubit Systems Inc and was elected ‘Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) for his research contributions.
Sean McCoy, PhD
Sean McCoy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Calgary since 2018. His team focuses on the assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction technologies and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. Current projects include life cycle assessment and techno-economic assessment of direct air capture, CO2 conversion technologies, and low-emission hydrogen; analysis of potential technology futures; and, exploration of policy mechanisms to incentivize emissions reductions and CDR.
Prior to joining the University of Calgary, Sean was an analyst at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). He is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control (IJGGC), the leading CCS-focused journal.
Sean earned a PhD in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University in 2008 and a B.A.Sc. from the University of Waterloo in Environmental Engineering (Chemical Specialization) in 2003.
Cite as: Hares, R., McCoy, S. and Layzell, D.B. (2022). Review of Carbon-Dioxide Storage Potential in Western Canada: Blue Hydrogen Roadmap to 2050. Transition Accelerator Reports Vol. 4, Issue 6, Pg. 1-42. ISSN: 2562-6264. Version 1.