SHELL
The lessons of Quest

In May 2019, just four years after its launch shortly before the signing of the Paris Agreement, Shell announced that its Quest facility in Alberta, Canada, had captured and safely stored 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Ahead of schedule and at a lower cost than expected, it is the largest onshore capture facility in the world with dedicated geological storage. That marks a significant step forward in demonstrating the value of carbon capture and storage as part of a global climate solution.

It is, however, the lessons that Shell has learned from getting Quest off the ground – and shared with others – that are likely to be its major legacy. Two stand out. First, costs would be around 30% less, if Quest were to be built again, providing a basis for new carbon and capture projects to be more cost-effective. Secondly, close engagement with policymakers, other industrial emitters and regional organizations is key. This ensures that oversized transport and storage infrastructure is fully used, as other emitters are incentivized and encouraged to capture and supply carbon dioxide.

That lesson is at the heart of OGCI’s KickStarter initiative designed to shift from one-off facilities to low-carbon industrial hubs – and to the emergence of an industry that can store carbon dioxide on the scale needed to meet Paris climate goals.