Towards a Pilot Project for the Geological Storage of CO2 in the St. Lawrence Lowlands

An increase in CO₂ capture projects is expected in Canada in the short-to-medium term to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets. It is becoming increasingly clear that the utilization sector will not be sufficient in the short/medium term for the volume of capture anticipated, making it urgent to develop national storage capacity. Considering Canada's size and transport costs, the development of local storage capacity seems unavoidable. Work carried out at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) by the Research Chair on CCS 2008-2013 has established the effective storage capacity for the province. In particular, potential reservoirs appear to have lower average porosity and permeability than elsewhere in the world, which has an impact on the viability of storage projects.

The aim of the proposed project is to establish the conditions that will enable the start-up of a pilot project, and thus lead to the determination of the effective storage capacity for the St. Lawrence Lowlands region of Quebec. This will be done first by developing accurate digital twins of the storage reservoirs that will enable storage capacity to be quantified. Previous 3D models were based on interpolation from 2D seismic lines, logging data and some laboratory measurements. These models contain too much uncertainty to properly assess site performance. Site characterization is designed to reduce these uncertainties, and will involve the acquisition of 3D seismic data and well tests. These data will be used to build a numerical reservoir model that is sufficiently accurate to assess the potential and risk of injection. Furthermore, the condition of existing wells in the study area and the technical feasibility of converting them for an injection project are uncertain, and work is planned to assess the state of casing cementing and casing corrosion. Finally, a comprehensive measurement campaign has been defined to determine the pre-injection geochemical and geophysical status, which is essential to ensure adequate monitoring of a pilot project and to be able to protect environmental quality during eventual storage activities. To this end, the development of a comprehensive environmental monitoring program (groundwater and soil gas) adapted to CO₂ storage activities is planned.

In the past, Quebec led the world in environmental monitoring requirements for hydrocarbon development activities. Today, there is no such program for CO₂ storage, and identifying suitable environmental tracers is therefore one of the innovative aspects of the project.