HALDIMAND—Carbon storage has become a hot topic in Haldimand recently, with news spreading about the area’s potential suitability for a large-scale carbon storage site in Nanticoke raising concerns in the community over the long-term safety of such an undertaking.
Last week, representatives from Enbridge Gas Inc. and Imperial Oil appeared before Council to assuage those concerns. The two companies have joined together on a special project application sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry which, if approved, would allow them to conduct studies in the area on the viability of a local Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) project in Haldimand.
“Most of Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions we are dealing with today are generated from fuelling vehicles, heating buildings, and producing goods that we use every day. Helping these sectors transition to a lower carbon alternative and sustainable energy sources is a key and necessary part of a net zero future,” said Wayne Passmore, Manager of Enbridge’s Low Carbon Business Development Group.
Jeff Cadotte, another Manager within Enbridge’s Low Carbon group, noted how the technology is not new, just new to Ontario: “It can be deployed in the near term to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in the important steel, cement, and fertilizer industries.”
Stelco made the news last fall when revealing their intentions to build a CCS facility in Nanticoke, near Lake Erie. At the time, Haldimand’s councillors expressed concern while MPP Bobbi Ann Brady called carbon storage an “important tool to explore if we are committed to a low carbon economy.”
A video from the Global CCS Institute, shared with Council, showcased how the technology works, noting how a “robust technical analysis is required to properly assess the area’s suitability for a commercial scale storage site.”
Suitability is determined based on three geologic attributes:
- Containment – Impermeable layer of rock over storage site to ensure long-term containment.
- Capacity – Understand the amount of space in the reservoir to quantify how much CO2 can be stored over the life of a project.
- Injectivity – How much CO2 can be injected and stored in each well per year.
A standard depth target for a site would be deeper than the height of two CN towers.
Passmore noted that both Enbridge and Imperial are working closely with the Province on developing a “transparent and efficient regulatory framework” for the technology.
With Ontario producing over 100 million tonnes of carbon emission a year, Passmore envisions two to four hubs in the province, targeting up to 20 million tonnes a year by 2040.
“Haldimand could be the heart of one such CCS hub. There are over 11 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year within 150km of our proposed study area,” he said. “We see the potential for Haldimand to be a leading CCS hub within southwestern Ontario.”
He noted that, if fully realized, the carbon capture industry could ultimately represent 1% of Ontario’s entire GDP: “A significant portion of these incremental benefits could flow through Haldimand area.”
Bryan Healey, Director of Business Development, Low Carbon Solutions for Imperial, iterated that the project application is simply to study the area, and not indicative of any done deal.
“It’s really centered around evaluating geology,” he noted. “The sub-surface conditions are a little more unknown in southwestern Ontario. The first step is to really appraise those sub-surfaces and conditions, study and evaluate them for the suitably of storing CO2 in the long term.”
That testing would involve conducting seismic tests, appraisal well drilling, and then using the collected data to evaluate storage potential locally.
“Quite candidly, you’re blessed with good geology that we’d like to assess, and we’re relatively close to some of the large emitters that are looking at CCS as a potential solution to help them achieve their greenhouse gas emissions goals,” added Passmore.
Haldimand’s councillors wasted no time raising the issue of safety surrounding any potential CCS sites in the area.
“Do you feel unequivocally, 100%, that this is safe, and that there is no potential for a leak or disaster in Lake Erie?” asked Ward 3 Councillor Dan Lawrence.
“Enbridge and Imperial Oil are very focused on safety and investigating this to assess whether we can do it safely. We think we can,” replied Passmore.
Lawrence cited Murphy’s Law, that if something can go wrong, it likely will eventually: “We have to be as close to 100% sure as we can that this is safe. With Lake Erie, we’ve got an international body of water, and we want to be sure we avoid an international incident.… There are a lot of residents on the well system in the immediate area, and we certainly don’t want any leaks there.”
Healey responded, noting that part of the assessment process is to assess any potential impacts over a 1,000-year period: “This is very scientific. Geologic storage is truly a science. I would argue we would only do it if it were truly safe.”
Lawrence then asked why the site needs to be in Haldimand, in proximity to a population of residents, instead of somewhere more isolated in northern Ontario. Healey noted that pipelines spanning greater distances become “uneconomical from an industry perspective” eventually.
Ward 4 Councillor Marie Trainer was not willing to entertain the notion of such a project coming to fruition at all: “It scares the heck out of me, what you would like to do in our area.”
Passmore replied, “It shouldn’t. What we’re proposing today is an evaluation … to collect data and do a proper assessment to determine if it’s suitable, and can we do it safely…. In our outreach to others, we have seen that there is a lot of education that needs to be done here to help people understand what it is we’re proposing to do.”
Trainer persisted, “I see you putting this stuff in the ground…. We know it’s going to fracture something. If that goes into anyone who has natural gas wells, that will ruin them. Then, the carbon could come up through those wells and kill anyone in the area…. I only see that eventually it will happen…. Put it somewhere where there’s no people. I know you would need to pipe it and that would cost a lot of money, but I’ve got children and grandchildren and I don’t want them dying or anyone in Haldimand.”
Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley questioned whether any currently operational CCS sites have been known to impact quality-of-life for nearby residents.
“The closest to home example would be the Quest project in Alberta, which injects 1 million tonnes a year … for 8-10 years or so and has been doing that quite safely, with no impact beyond the well head at this point,” replied Cadotte.
As of publication, the Ministry had not yet rendered a decision on the application, however, should the two companies be granted permission to proceed, they hope to get to work quickly on the assessments.
“We’d like to kick off the seismic work this summer…. Any well drilling would occur likely in early 2025, if approved,” concluded Cadotte.
