An optimal sustainable planning strategy for national carbon capture deployment: A review on the state of CO2 capture in Canada

Abstract

This study reviews the steps Canada is taking to address sustainable decarbonization in the context of carbon capture. This work also presents a new optimal framework for national optimal deployment in need of strategic carbon capture implementation. This framework considers external environmental and social considerations often missing from implementation frameworks, which will aid policy makers in more well-rounded deployment decisions. Thus far, Canada's carbon projects have captured a total of 36.3 Mt of CO₂ which has cost over $2.7 billion to implement. The Canadian case study utilizing the proposed optimal planning strategy shows that implementation of 58 post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) plants located in seven provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) would result in Canada meeting the national targets. This implementation includes 16 plants removing emissions from the Electricity sector, 16 from the Heavy Industry sector, and 26 from the Oil and gas sector resulting in new emissions levels of 11.82 MtCO₂, 27.63 MtCO₂, and 107.01 MtCO₂ in each sector, respectively. Additional case studies examined the impact of Alberta's emissions and varying the national targets resulting in different optimal implementations plans. Through a sensitivity analysis on these targets, it was determined that plant distribution is heavily dependent on provincial energy and CO₂ transport prices. Additionally, if Alberta were to reduce their GHG emissions by 50% through alternative sustainable methods, only 35 PCC plants would be required to meet national targets. This framework provides a sustainable tool for decision-makers to accelerate decarbonization.