CO2 pore space (carbon storage)

POTENTIAL & KNOWN RESERVES IN ALBERTA

≈79 Gt capacity in Alberta (WCSB ≈360 Gt); >18 Mt stored to date

Confidence: Regional estimate

• Alberta storage capacity≈79 Gt CO2Clean Prosperity 2024 via Energy Now ↗
• Quest1.0 Mt (2024); 9.8 Mt cumulative since 2015AER ST98 2025 §10.3 ↗
• Clive (ACTL EOR)1.4 Mt (2024); 6.2 Mt since 2020AER ST98 2025 §10.3 ↗
• Total stored>18 Mt by Aug 2026Energy Now, Aug 2026 ↗

Where it occurs

• Quest (Scotford, Basal Cambrian Sandstone 2,105–2,132 m)
• Clive Leduc / Nisku (ACTL)
• Enbridge Wabamun hub
• Shell Polaris / Atlas (2028)
• Pathways Cold Lake corridor
• 24 hub evaluation areas

Official reserve pins on the map

• Alberta deep saline storage capacity79 Gt CO2 · Resource estimate · 2024Clean Prosperity / Pathways ↗

Live Atlas valuation (reference scenario)

1 subsurface asset priced by the Atlas engine: economic value $88B. Move the Scenario Laboratory sliders on the map to reprice.

• Wabamun Pore Space (Edmonton / Industrial Heartland)4.2K Mt CO2 in place · recoverable $88B · economic $88B (100% clears break-even)

GEOLOGY: WHAT MAKES A DEPOSIT MORE LIKELY

Deep saline aquifer and depleted-reservoir storage below 800 m (supercritical CO2) under evaporite and shale seals.

Host formations

Basal Cambrian Sandstone · Nisku · Leduc · Wabamun

Depth range

2K–3K m

Favourable conditions

• Depth over 800 m with high porosity-permeability aquifer and large closure or open system
• Regional seals: Prairie Evaporite, Lotsberg salt, Clearwater and Colorado shales
• Few legacy well penetrations through the seal
• Emitters within 50–100 km (Heartland, Cold Lake, Wabamun)

Prospectivity envelopes on the map (2)

• Industrial Heartland Basal Cambrian SandstoneProducing / drill-proven
  Deep saline aquifer storage (Basal Cambrian Sandstone, Leduc, Nisku) · 2K–2K m
  • Basal Cambrian Sandstone 2,000 m deep with 100 m+ of shale and Prairie Evaporite seal
  • Proven injectivity at Quest (> 9 Mt stored since 2015)
  • Emitters within 50 km: refineries, upgraders, fertilizer, hydrogen, cement
  Source: Quest, ACTL/Clive, Wabamun / Atlas / Origins hub evaluation areas.
• Cold Lake–Athabasca Pathways corridorFavourable
  Deep saline Basal Cambrian / Devonian carbonate storage under the oil sands · 2K–3K m
  • Thick Paleozoic section with Prairie Evaporite seal
  • Pathways Alliance trunk line would collect from 20+ oil sands facilities
  • Less well control at storage depth than the Heartland
  Source: Pathways Alliance hub evaluation permits (Alberta Energy).

DATASETS THAT TEST THE TARGET

Stack these layers on the integrated map

Discriminating datasets first, then every catalogued public dataset tagged to this commodity. Verified endpoints draw directly; link-only entries open the publisher page.

• 3D Provincial Geological Framework: Precambrian subcrop zonesAlberta Geological Survey · Structure, depth & isopach · drawable · verifiedEntry point to the provincial 3D framework: which Paleozoic zone sits on basement controls helium traps, brine aquifers and storage seals.Source ↗
• 3D PGF depth-to-Precambrian grid (LERC, link only)Alberta Geological Survey · Structure, depth & isopach · link only · verifiedBasement depth controls geothermal gradient, helium source proximity and basin-centred gas pressure.Source ↗
• Carbon sequestration agreementsAlberta Energy and Minerals · Mineral tenure · drawable · verifiedPore-space tenure that may conflict with helium and lithium rights in the same formations.Source ↗
• Prairie Evaporite / Lotsberg salt thickness (publication)Alberta Geological Survey · Structure, depth & isopach · link onlyThick, undissolved halite is the target for solution mining and caverns and the seal for CO2 storage; dissolution edges control McMurray karst collapse.Source ↗
• Active producing wells (Alberta Energy Geoview)Alberta Energy and Minerals · Wells · link only · verifiedWhere hydrocarbons are flowing today: live reservoir pressure, produced-water (brine) access, helium-bearing gas streams and infrastructure for re-entry.Source ↗

VALUE & VALUE CHAIN

TIER headline price: C$95/t (2026) → C$100 (2027–29) → C$115 (2030) → C$140 (2040)

Credit floor C$60/t from 2030; TIER credits traded ≈C$18–20/t in late 2025

Pathways: C$20–30 B; 6 Mtpa net reductions by 2035, +10 Mtpa by 2045

Carbon-linked: the Atlas values pore space off the carbon-price slider; the credit floor from 2030 is the real floor for project finance.

Value chain

1. Capture (hydrogen, upgrader, gas power, cement)
2. Compression & trunk line (ACTL 14.6 Mt/yr, Pathways)
3. Injection & MMV
4. TIER credits / CCUS ITC / ACCIP

Industries and products that rely on it

DEMAND & PRODUCTION PROJECTIONS

What the forecasts say

• PathwaysBinding agreements by 15 Nov 2026; FID late 2027–early 2028; shared T&S by 2032BNN Bloomberg, Jul 2026 ↗
• Hub pipeline24 hub proposals (6 Heartland); Shell Atlas 2028Alberta carbon sequestration tenure ↗

Key risks

• Credit price below headline until 2030
• Pathways FID slipping
• Overlapping subsurface tenure disputes
• Federal ITC changes after 2035

DEVELOPMENT: TENURE, ROYALTY, PERMITTING

What a developer needs to know

Tenure

Crown-owned pore space; Carbon Sequestration Tenure Regulation — Evaluation Agreement then Carbon Sequestration Agreement awarded by competitive hub process.

Royalty

No royalty; revenue is TIER credits, federal CCUS ITC (50 % capture, 37.5 % T&S to 2035) and ACCIP 12 % grant.

Lead time

4–6 years from hub award to injection

Permitting path

1. AER Directive 065 injection scheme
2. MMV plan and closure plan
3. EPEA for trunk lines
4. Federal IAA for large pipelines

Infrastructure needs

• CO2 trunk lines
• Compression
• Monitoring wells

Active players

Recommended next steps

• Overlay hub evaluation areas on helium and lithium leases to flag conflicts
• Model credit-floor economics from 2030
• Track Pathways binding agreements (Nov 2026)

MINES, PILOTS & PROJECTS (5)

Who is already working this commodity in Alberta

• Quest CCS (Scotford)CCS hub · Shell (operator) / Canadian Natural · ≈1 Mt/yr; 9.8 Mt stored since 2015Operating (2026)Basal Cambrian Sandstone 2,105–2,132 m.Source ↗
• Alberta Carbon Trunk Line / CliveCCS hub · Wolf Midstream / Enhance Energy · 14.6 Mt/yr line capacity; 1.4 Mt stored 2024; ≈8 Mt cumulativeOperating (2026)Sources: Nutrien Redwater and Sturgeon Refinery; Enhance Origins permanent hub due 2026.Source ↗
• Shell Polaris capture + Atlas storage hubCCS hub · Shell / ATCO EnPower · 650 kt/yr capture; start-up ≈end 2028Construction (2026)FID June 2024; 22 km pipeline to two injection wells.Source ↗
• Open Access Wabamun Carbon HubCCS hub · Enbridge / First Nations Capital Investment Partnership · ≈4 Mt/yr planned; target 2027Permitting (2026)Both anchor emitters stalled (Genesee CCS cancelled 2024; Heidelberg on hold Aug 2026).Source ↗
• Pathways / Oil Sands Alliance CCS hub (Cold Lake)CCS hub · Oil Sands Alliance (CNRL, Cenovus, ConocoPhillips, Imperial, Suncor) · 6 Mtpa net by 2035, +10 Mtpa by 2045; in service 1 Jan 2032Permitting (2026)Trilateral MOU 2 Jul 2026; definitive agreements by 15 Nov 2026; C$20–30 B.Source ↗