Carbon capture and storage ("CCS") is a process that captures carbon dioxide ("CO2") emissions from large industrial emitters and stores them in geological formations kilometres below the earth's surface. A principal objective of CCS is to reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.

In the brief period of time following the resignation of Ed Stelmach and the swearing-in of Alison Redford as Premier on October 7, 2011, the significance of CCS as an Alberta government climate change strategy appears to have changed.

In Alberta's 2008 Climate Change Strategy, released under Stelmach, the Province emphasised that CCS would be the primary mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Strategy, set out that 70% of Alberta's potential reductions would arise from CCS.

While Stelmach was in office, numerous CCS initiatives were undertaken, including the following:

  • the establishment, in March 2007, of the joint Federal-Provincial ecoEnergy Carbon Capture and Storage Task Force;
  • the Province announced that it would invest $2 billion to fund CCS projects and it established the Carbon Capture and Storage Development Council, and enacted the Carbon Capture and Storage Funding Act ("CCSFA" ) to facilitate this investment;
  • the enactment of comprehensive CCS legislation, The Carbon Capture and Storage Statutes Amendment Act, in 2010;
  • the establishment of a six-member expert panel having the mandate to examine in detail the regulatory framework for CCS in Alberta in March 2011; and
  • the issuance of the Carbon Sequestration Tenure Regulation on April 28, 2011, which addresses permits and injection depths, among other things.

Following the swearing-in of the new Premier, the landscape for CCS in Alberta appears to have changed.

In a meeting with the editorial board of the Calgary Herald in November 2011, Premier Redford stated that while the government will keep spending on work already in progress (i.e. $1.6 billion for the three projects already under contract), there are "better initiatives and opportunities" for the rest of the money and that further spending will diversify "away from carbon capture and storage toward other things." Based on this meeting, the Herald reported that CCS was no longer in the Province's plans.

However, shortly thereafter, on November 20, 2011, the Herald reported that officials in the departments of energy and environment stated that the Redford government is not reversing direction and that the Province remains fully committed to CCS.

Based on these reports, while it may not be "reversing direction", it appears that the Redford government's enthusiasm for CCS has at least waned, relative to that of its predecessor. What remains unclear is the degree to which the Redford government intends to rely on CCS as its climate change strategy.

About BLG

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.