Canada is expanding its CO2 pipeline network: CER

This article was published by the Canada Energy Regulator on May 1, 2024.

In Canada, new carbon dioxide (CO₂) pipeline projects are being announced. In September 2023, Wolf Midstream announced the expansion of its Alberta Carbon Trunk Line (ATCL) to Edmonton, AB. In Saskatchewan, Whitecap Resources stated it started engineering design of a new CO₂ capture and pipeline project. However, both projects are adding capacity to an existing network of large CO₂ pipelines that has been in operation for more than two decades. More projects could be expected in the future, as the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) capacity is an essential part of the federal and provincial strategies to reduce emissions and transition to a low carbon future.

Carbon dioxide pipelines are an essential part of any carbon capture and storage project. Canada currently has five large CO₂ pipeline systems. The Alberta Carbon Trunk Line⁽¹⁾ (ACTL), and the Quest⁽²⁾ project pipelines are in Alberta, while the Boundary Dam to Weyburn, the Souris Valley⁽³⁾ and the Cardinal Energy Ltd.’s Midale CO₂⁽⁴⁾ pipelines are in south Saskatchewan (Table 1). Total capacity of these pipelines is estimated in 2023 at 7.1 million tonnes of CO₂ per year (Mt CO₂/year).

The Souris Valley pipeline⁽⁵⁾—the oldest and largest—has been in service since 2000, the Midale pipeline since 2005 and the Boundary Dam pipeline since 2014. The Quest and ACTL pipelines became operational in 2015 and 2020, respectively. The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) regulates the Souris Valley pipeline, while Quest and ACTL are regulated by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER)⁽⁶⁾ and the Boundary Dam and Midale pipelines by the Saskatchewan provincial government.