Research shows carbon storage proposed for Fort Nelson safe and effective

Carbon storage is the process of capturing carbon dioxide and pumping it into a depleted natural gas reservoir two kilometres beneath the earth’s surface for storage. The Otway Project in Australia has shown that there has been no leakage, and in an interview with the Sun, one of the scientists, Dirk Kirske, said they are now confident that they can say what will happen over a time scale of possibly millions of years. This could prove to be an effective way of reducing greenhouse gases.

Spectra already has seven smaller projects that use carbon dioxide storing underground. As raw gas from the Horn River shale basin contains a high amount of CO2, the Fort Nelson plant makes an ideal location to try larger-scale collection. The company is now conducting environmental assessments, and talking to stakeholders.

In a Vancouver Sun interview, Spectra Energy vice-president of strategic development Gary Weilinger said the plan is to capture and store 2.2 million tonnes of CO2 a year. While this process is a very high-cost solution to greenhouse gas emissions, Spectra could benefit if there becomes a price for carbon in the future.

The full Vancouver Sun article is available here.