Field tests of carbon capture and storage to begin soon

Edmonton, AB – Three test wells will soon be drilled for a ground-breaking, long-term, large-volume CO2 sequestration project in Alberta. The Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI), is providing $6.6 million in funding for the three-year $20-million project near Shell Canada’s Scotford facility. Information from the field tests will support Alberta’s Climate Change Strategy.

“We’re taking the technology to the field to demonstrate CO2 storage in different kinds of geological formations,” said Doug Horner, advanced education and technology minister.

The wells will examine the CO2 injection capability and storage capacity in formations deep beneath the surface. The field test phase is expected to be completed by June 2010.

The $6.6 million funding by AERI will expand the knowledge base of the geologic formations in Alberta that are said to be well suited for carbon sequestration. The funding is separate from Alberta’s $2 billion carbon capture and sequestration fund, which will support 3-5 commercial-scale projects that are planned to reduce carbon emissions in the province by up to five million tonnes annually by 2015.