Martha Hall Findlay was deeply moved when she listened to Canada’s prime minister and Alberta’s premier expressing strong support for the Pathways carbon capture project during a recent discussion about their long-promised “grand bargain.” As a former Liberal MP and oilsands executive involved in the Pathways Alliance, she felt emotional hearing the leaders emphasize the project’s crucial role in their plans. Currently serving as the director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, Findlay found the moment extraordinary after years of perseverance in the field.
A significant milestone was reached on Thursday when Alberta and Ottawa finalized an agreement outlining the framework for a new bitumen pipeline through British Columbia. This agreement, along with various changes in Ottawa’s environmental regulatory framework, sets the direction for the country’s energy sector in the coming years. Federal officials have made it clear that the advancement of Pathways Plus is a prerequisite for approving the bitumen pipeline.
The Pathways Plus project, proposed by the Pathways Alliance – a collaboration of major Canadian oilsands companies committed to achieving net-zero emissions from oilsands production by 2050, involves establishing a substantial carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) facility near Cold Lake, Alberta. This initiative aims to capture carbon dioxide emissions from over 20 oilsands facilities in northern Alberta, transporting them through a 400-kilometer pipeline to a terminal in the eastern part of the province. The project, first introduced in 2022, has garnered praise from Kendall Dilling, the CEO of Pathways Alliance, for its potential to contribute to the Canadian economy and enhance energy security.
Despite facing significant challenges and uncertainties, the commitment shown towards the Pathways project marks a notable step forward. Companies like Wood Mackenzie have conducted thorough economic assessments of Pathways, noting the previous uncertainties related to carbon capture policies that hindered major investments. The recent alignment between federal and provincial governments on this project is a positive development, although some groups, including Indigenous communities and environmental organizations, continue to raise concerns about safety, economics, and the project’s impact on the transition to renewable energy.
As discussions and debates continue, the Pathways Plus project remains a focal point for the energy sector’s future in Canada. With the government emphasizing the project’s potential as the world’s largest carbon capture, utilization, and storage initiative, the industry awaits further collaboration and progress towards achieving the ambitious net-zero emissions target by 2050.