Aquistore Project, a Deep Saline CO2 Storage Demonstration Project

Aquistore Project

Project type	CO2 storage site characterization and injection demonstration
Project proponents	Consortium of companies led by the Petroleum Technology Research Centre
CO2 storage types	Saline and sandstone formations
Project timeframe	2009 to 2013
Project location	Saskatchewan, Canada
Funding
Government of Canada	$14 million
Provincial government	$5 million
Industry	$13.2 million
Total project cost	$32.2 million

Project description:

The Aquistore Project is an independent deep saline carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage research and demonstration project that is being managed by the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC), which has more than 10 years of experience managing CO₂ monitoring and storage. The project will demonstrate that captured CO₂ from an industrial source can be safely stored in deep saline sandstone formations, more than 3 kilometres below the surface, near the SaskPower’s Boundary Dam 3 power station, near Estevan, Saskatchewan. Aquistore will demonstrate the scientific and economic feasibility of deep saline CO₂ storage and be a knowledge source for other jurisdictions and companies thinking of doing the same.

Aquistore is a two-phase project. In the first phase, PTRC will conduct a detailed characterization of deep saline formations in Saskatchewan. It will drill an evaluation injection well and do a test injection of water and then CO₂. PTRC will conduct a CO₂ measurement, monitoring and verification (MMV ) program prior to and during the injection, as well as over the life of the project.

During the second phase, Aquistore will move to a commercial-scale CO₂ capture, transport and storage demonstration project. It is anticipated that captured CO₂ from SaskPower’s Boundary Dam 3 power station will be transported via pipeline to the injection well and storage site.

Expected outcomes:

The short-term outcomes are the characterization of a storage site in southern Saskatchewan, located close to CO₂ sources; the implementation of an MMV program; the drilling of an evaluation/injection well; and the CO₂ test injection. In the longer term, the site is expected to be used for commercial-scale injection and storage of CO₂.

Proponent and partners’ profiles:

PTRC is a not-for-profit research and development organization based in Regina. It was founded in 1998 with support from Natural Resources Canada, Saskatchewan Energy and Resources, the Saskatchewan Research Council and the University of Regina, as well as the western Canadian oil and gas industry. PTRC is currently managing the IEAGHG Weyburn-Midale CO₂ Monitoring and Storage Project, the Joint Implementation of Vapour Extraction (JIVE) Project, the Sustainable Technologies for Energy Production Systems (STEPS) Program, the Aquistore Project and other programs.

PTRC has brought internationally recognized expertise and interest to the Aquistore Project. The research program involves the Geological Survey of Canada, the universities of Alberta and Saskatchewan and Schlumberger Carbon Services.

Other partners in the Aquistore Project include Sustainable Development Technology Canada, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment (Go Green Fund), SaskPower, SaskEnergy, Consumers’ Co-operative Refineries Limited, Enbridge, the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth and OYO from Japan, as well as the Korean National Oil Corporation.

Project Web site:

www.aquistore.ca
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