Sturgeon Refinery

Carbon Capture and Storage

North West Redwater Partnership has developed a bitumen processing solution that maximizes the value of Alberta’s raw materials by producing ultra-low sulphur fuels while incorporating a CO2 solution with integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The refinery uses gasification to convert the heavy bottoms (a substantial waste product of bitumen) into both the hydrogen required for refinery operations and a pure, dry CO2 stream that is cost-effectively captured instead of vented into the atmosphere, eliminating approximately 70% of the refinery’s total CO2 footprint. This captured CO2 is then sold to third parties for enhanced oil recovery and permanent storage.

The CO2 captured from the refinery serves as an anchor supply to the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line (ACTL). At full capacity, the ACTL is the largest carbon capture, transportation, utilization and storage system in the world that exclusively uses captured industrial CO2. Designed at the same time as the Sturgeon Refinery, the ACTL system represents a significant investment in a CO2 management solution for Alberta’s industrial development.