Assessing The Value Of Carbon Capture And Storage To Alberta’s Climate Change Strategy Through The Water-energy Nexus

Abstract

This research explores the impacts of the water-energy nexus as it relates to integrating carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology into Alberta’s oil sands at a rate sufficient to meet the province’s current (2008) climate change strategy. As it stands, the oil sands use a tremendous amount of water, and the potential of CCS to heighten these demands is a critically understudied issue. The results of this study conclude that for every one tonne of CO2 captured, 1-1.8 m3 of water are required, and through the water-energy nexus, this translates to an energy requirement of 17-26 MJ and, consequently, the production of 0.002-0.003 tonnes of CO2e. The results demonstrate the significance of the water-energy nexus and the need to incorporate more comprehensive analyses when evaluating climate change solutions, instead of assessing on the sole basis of GHG reduction.