The Quest for lower emissions

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is one of the byproducts that result when bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands is upgraded to make light crude oil. The Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facility reduces emissions from the Scotford upgrader located near Edmonton, operated by Shell Canada on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP).

Quest captures about one-third of the CO2 from the upgrading process. This CO2 is compressed to a supercritical state (not quite a gas but not quite a liquid). It’s then sent through a 65 kilometre pipeline to one of three deep wells and injected into a porous sandstone reservoir for safe, permanent storage two kilometres below the surface.

Since it started operating in 2015, Quest has captured and stored more than eight million tons of emissions (as of March 2023). That’s about the same as emissions from 1.8 million cars.

Another cool thing: Quest is a demonstration project, designed to share knowledge and technology to prove the viability of CCS as a realistic, cost-effective technology for reducing emissions.

Widespread adoption of CCS is one of the key solutions the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Quest is a thriving example of how this technology is making a significant contribution to lowering emissions.

The respective ownership interests of AOSP assets in aggregate, directly and indirectly, are 70% Canadian Natural Resources Limited and an affiliate, 20% Chevron Canada Limited, and 10% Shell Canada Limited through certain subsidiaries.