November 26, 2023
Canadian Natural
- Canadian Natural has ownership in three carbon capture projects in Canada, with a combined capture capacity of ~2.7 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year. This includes a capture facility at their Horizon oil sands operations, where they capture CO2 from their hydrogen plant for use in tailings management.
- By building off this expertise and working with the CCS Knowledge Centre, Canadian Natural was able to apply their learnings towards completing CCS feasibility studies at five major oil sands facilities.
- Piloting solvent enhanced oil recovery technology on its thermal in situ assets with an objective to increase bitumen production, reduce the steam-to-oil ratio, reduce GHG intensity and realize high solvent recovery. This technology has the potential for application throughout Canadian Natural’s extensive thermal in situ asset base.
- Canadian Natural is progressing with engineering and design of a commercial scale solvent SAGD pad development at Kirby North, targeting first solvent injection in mid-2024. A two-year pilot in the Primrose steam flood area began solvent injection in Q4 2021. Canadian Natural is seeing positive operating results from these projects to date, including steam-to-oil ratio reductions and GHG intensity reductions of approximately 50%.
Cenovus
- Piloting Svante CO2 capture technology at thermal operations at Pikes Peak (Saskatchewan).
- Completed engineering CCS design optimization studies for carbon capture at Christina Lake.
- Investing in two promising hydrogen technologies through Evok Innovations partnership.
- Continued investments in small modular reactors (SMR) including the launch of a multi-year study on whether SMR technology can be deployed safely, economically and technically at oil sands operations.
ConocoPhillips Canada
- Various engineering studies are underway to explore operational efficiencies and carbon capture, and several field pilots are under way (steam drive + gas, steam additives, Warm Applied Solvent Process (WASP)) to help with steam use optimization.
Imperial
- The Grand Rapids development at Cold Lake, using steam-reducing technology (solvent-assisted steam-assisted gravity drainage, SA-SAGD) is nearing completion and remains on track to achieve accelerated start-up with steam injection anticipated by year-end 2023.
- Imperial is also working toward advancing a suite of next generation in situ technologies such as Cyclic Solvent Process and Enhanced Bitumen Recovery Technology that use light hydrocarbons like propane and butane to replace most of the steam used to recover bitumen while providing anticipated GHG reductions up to 90%.
- Achieved successful start-up of final boiler flue gas unit at Kearl. This technology recovers waste heat from a boiler’s combustion exhaust to preheat process water, and combined, the six units have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 220,000 tonnes per year.
- Pursuing CCS emissions reduction opportunity that captures efficiencies with Cold Lake operations.
MEG Energy
- Near completion of Pre-FEED work for proposed carbon capture facility at Christina Lake site including licensor selection and preliminary engineering design.
Suncor
- Completed CCS feasibility studies of investing in CCS at three major facilities.
- Conducting pre-front end engineering and design study of Svante capture technology.
- Piloting multiple technologies using solvents in steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) optimization. These processes have the potential to lower costs, reduce the steam-to-oil ratio and lower GHG emissions intensity by up to 50%.
- Fuel-switching that will replace coke-fired boilers with significantly lower-emission cogeneration units.
- Allocating approximately 10% of the annual capital budget over the medium term (2022-2025) to investments that advance low-carbon energy projects.