Shell to build carbon capture and storage projects in Canada

Shell Canada Products, a subsidiary of Shell plc, today announced the Final Investment Decision (FID) for Polaris, a carbon capture project at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park, Scotford in Alberta, Canada. Polaris is designed to capture approximately 650,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually from the Shell-owned Scotford refinery and chemicals complex.

In addition to the Polaris FID, Shell today announced FID to proceed with the Atlas Carbon Storage Hub in partnership with ATCO EnPower. The first phase of Atlas will provide permanent underground storage for CO₂ captured by the Polaris project.

"Carbon capture and storage is a key technology to achieve the Paris Agreement climate goals,” said Huibert Vigeveno, Shell’s Downstream, Renewable and Energy Solutions Director. “The Polaris and Atlas projects are important steps in reducing emissions from our own operations.”

Polaris and Atlas will build on the success of the Quest carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility at Scotford, which has safely captured and stored more than nine million tonnes of CO₂ since 2015 that would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere.

Polaris, fully owned by Shell, aims to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions at Shell’s Scotford refinery and chemicals complex by up to 40% and 22% respectively. Shell, in partnership with ATCO EnPower, is developing the Atlas Carbon Storage Hub. The initial phase of Atlas will store CO₂ captured by Polaris, with future phases potentially accommodating carbon from various partners and third parties.

Captured CO₂ from Polaris will be transported via a 22-kilometre pipeline to two storage wells, approximately two kilometers underground in the Basal Cambrian Sands formation, a proven CO₂ storage site from the Quest CCS facility. Polaris will build on the successful operations of the Quest CCS facility, which has stored about one million tonnes of CO₂ annually since 2015.

In line with its commitment to low-carbon energy solutions, Shell plans to invest US $10 to $15 billion between 2023 and 2025 in various initiatives, including carbon capture and storage, e-mobility, low-carbon fuels, renewable power generation, and hydrogen.