Pathways / Oil Sands Alliance CCS hub (Cold Lake)

RESOURCE CONTEXT

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

Roughly 79 Gt of saline-aquifer capacity, and the precondition for every other decarbonized product in the province.

Official reserve statements for this commodity (1)

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

GEOLOGICAL SETTING

Prospectivity envelopes for CO2 pore space (carbon storage)

• Industrial Heartland Basal Cambrian SandstoneProducing / drill-proven
  Deep saline aquifer storage (Basal Cambrian Sandstone, Leduc, Nisku)
• Cold Lake–Athabasca Pathways corridorFavourable
  Deep saline Basal Cambrian / Devonian carbonate storage under the oil sands

Development regime

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.

DATASETS TO STACK HERE

Public layers that cover this site

• Bedrock geology polygons (DIG 2013-0018, queryable)Alberta Geological SurveyAttribute-level bedrock mapping for screening host lithologies; heavy, so it loads only when zoomed in.
• 3D Provincial Geological Framework: Precambrian subcrop zonesAlberta Geological SurveyEntry point to the provincial 3D framework: which Paleozoic zone sits on basement controls helium traps, brine aquifers and storage seals.
• Alberta earthquake catalogue (incl. induced)Alberta Geological SurveyInduced-seismicity hazard zones (Fox Creek, Red Deer) constrain hydraulic fracturing and injection.
• Seismic / forestry cutlines (oil sands region)Alberta Environment and Protected Areas – OSIPWhere 2D/3D seismic has been shot; legacy data may be purchasable from brokers.
• AGS prospective areas for mineral explorationAlberta Geological SurveyThe survey's own view of where each commodity is prospective; compare with the Atlas knowledge-driven envelopes.
• NRCan Map 900A: producing mines, mineral areas, oil & gas fieldsNatural Resources CanadaOfficial federal view of producing operations to cross-check the Atlas mine inventory.
• Carbon sequestration agreementsAlberta Energy and MineralsPore-space tenure that may conflict with helium and lithium rights in the same formations.
• Non-Crown mineral ownershipAlberta Energy and MineralsFreehold minerals need private deals and carry freehold mineral tax instead of Crown royalty.

NEARBY OPERATIONS

Within reach

• Lindbergh salt plantSalt / brine · Windsor Salt (Stone Canyon) · ≈76 kmOperating
• Sil Industrial Minerals — BruderheimSilica sand · Sil Industrial Minerals · ≈186 kmOperating
• Shell Polaris capture + Atlas storage hubCCS hub · Shell / ATCO EnPower · ≈189 kmConstruction
• Dodds Coal Mine (Ryley)Coal mine · Dodds Coal Mining · ≈191 kmOperating
• Quest CCS (Scotford)CCS hub · Shell (operator) / Canadian Natural · ≈196 kmOperating
• Dow Path2Zero (Fort Saskatchewan)Hydrogen · Dow / Linde · ≈202 kmConstruction