Quest CCS Project

Measured on a wells-to-wheels basis, gasoline made from oil sands crude is about 5-15 per cent more CO₂ intensive than conventional fuel.

Shell is working to close this gap through improvements and efficiencies in our oilsands operations as well as through the pursuit of offsets.

Quest CCS Project could be part of the action Alberta and Canada is looking for – to develop valuable oil sands resources with less climate-changing CO₂.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) will help manage CO₂ emissions. The process permanently stores CO₂ underground, preventing it from dispersing into the air.

CCS is a process that captures CO₂ from industrial sources, then transports it to a storage site and injects it underground. Storing CO₂ underground is based on geological trapping mechanisms similar to those that have naturally contained large reservoirs of oil and gas for millions of years.

A recent report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says CCS could contribute up to 55 per cent of the emission reductions scientists believe are necessary to address global warming.

Other key CCS facts:

• Within decades, CCS could become a part of the world’s energy systems, allowing  fossil fuels to meet the world's energy demand while renewable energy matures and expands.
• CCS is an important part of Alberta’s Climate Change Strategy, which suggests that CCS will account for 70 per cent of the province’s GHG reductions by 2050.
• Quest CCS Project proposes to inject CO₂ into deep geological formations known as Basal Cambrian Sands at a depth about 2 kilometres below the Earth’s surface.
• The CO₂ will be stored permanently in the microscopic poeres of salt-water-filled rocks and will be held in place by many layers of “cap” rock (thick shales and salt layers).
• State-of-the-art systems would monitor storage reservoirs to ensure that injected CO₂ remains permanently in the target formation.

Quest CCS Project is in the early feasibility and planning stage.

In late 2008 and early 2009, Shell drilled two test wells near the Scotford Upgrader as part of a CCS appraisal program co-funded by the Alberta Energy Research Institute.  The results of this program will help determine potential locations for Quest CCS Project CO₂ injection sites. 

Shell continues to consult with landowners, community leaders, government and other industry about the Quest CCS Project.

The development plan for Quest depends on:

• outcome of the test well program;
• regulatory processes;
• ability to meet sustainable development criteria;
• economic feasibility;
• final project costs; and,
• ongoing consultation with key stakeholders.

CCS by itself will not solve climate change, but is one of the ways to reduce CO₂ emissions. Shell is playing an important role in deploying Alberta’s climate change strategy.

The Quest Public Disclosure Document is available for download (PDF, 1096 KB) - opens in new window

Shell's Quest project chosen by the Government of Alberta

At Shell, we are pleased with the Alberta Government’s decision to consider the Quest CCS project for a letter of intent and subsequent possible funding agreement. Shell believes the Quest proposal is technically sound, and would contribute to the success of the Province’s energy strategy and oil sands framework.

While today's announcement is a key milestone, the Quest project depends on several factors before a final investment decision is taken. These include working out funding details with the Government of Alberta, regulatory approvals, stakeholder engagement, as well as joint venture agreement. Shell views Carbon Capture and Storage as one of the ways to reduce CO2. Government funding is necessary to facilitate the early development of commercial-scale CCS projects.

Read the announcement release from the Government of Alberta - opens in new window

Thank you for visiting the Shell Quest website.

If you have any questions or comments about Quest, please contact us at:
E-mail: quest-info@shell.com
Phone: 1-800-250-4355