Canada CCS Project Commences Operations

Bison Low Carbon Ventures Inc. (Bison) has commenced first phase operations under the Meadowbrook Carbon Storage Hub Project (Meadowbrook) in Alberta, Canada. With Marubeni Corp. holding an equity stake in the project, Bison is the first instance in which a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project involves a Japanese company in which carbon dioxide (CO₂) is collected from a third-party company incurring injection fees for underground storage.

On the path to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, CCS is considered an essential decarbonization technology for industries where reducing CO₂ emissions is challenging under current operational processes. According to the Stated Policies Scenario in the World Energy Outlook 2025 (published by the International Energy Agency), the volume of CO₂ captured globally is projected to expand significantly: from 43 million tons (39 million tonnes) in 2024, to 160 million tons (145 million tonnes) in 2035, and 300 million tons (272 million tonnes) in 2050.

Alberta benefits from abundant oil and natural gas resources, as well as a strong industrial cluster. However, Alberta struggles with CO₂ emissions. Owing to advantages such as suitable geology and a well-developed regulatory framework, the province is drawing attention as one of the world’s leading CCS jurisdictions.

In 2022, a bid process was held for exploration permits covering 25 tenures to assess their suitability as CCS hubs. Bison acquired two of these tenures, of which one is the location of the Meadowbrook project. The operations involve capturing CO₂ at Deep Sky Alpha (a direct air capture plant in Alberta) and transporting the CO₂ to the Bison injection well and facility for underground storage, marking the first among the 25 Alberta CCS Hub tenures to achieve full regulatory approval and commence CO₂ injection operations.

The operations are a key milestones in demonstrating the practical feasibility of CO₂ injection and are expected to enable Bison to offer proven storage options to CO₂ emitters, as well as to support decision making for investment in related decarbonization projects.

Through the operations, Marubeni and Bison will accelerate discussions with CO₂ emitters with the aim of achieving commercial-scale operation of the Meadowbrook project. Looking ahead, the companies will target operating a business capable of storing 3 MTPA of CO₂ from multiple emission sources, focusing on nearby industries such as Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, thereby contributing to carbon neutrality in hard-to-abate industrial sectors.