Canada - "Despite Carbon Capture's Terrible Track Record, Governments Keep Subsidizing The Technology"

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It is in part because of the oil and gas industry’s allegedly misleading statements about CCS that the Canadian government introduced new anti-greenwashing amendments to the Competition Act. These new amendments provoked many Canadian oil and gas companies to remove environmental pledges and goals from their websites, including information about CCS. The Pathways Alliance, a consortium of Canadian tar sands oil producers that has been aggressively promoting a carbon capture project in Alberta, removed all content from their website on June 19 in anticipation of these new regulations. Pathways has since added some new content to their website, though there are far fewer details about the group’s interest in CCS.

In recent weeks, sitting ministers in the government of Canada have made several announcements or statements concerning carbon capture projects. In mid July, Strathcona Resources Ltd. announced it would enter into a partnership with the Canada Growth Fund — a public investment agency of Canada’s federal government — to split $2 billion CAD of new investments in CCS infrastructure for the company’s tar sands operations in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The joint funding may not actually be as equal as government and industry have indicated. According to Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate, with Environmental Defence Canada, Strathcona may not even cover half their capital costs, given their expectation these costs will be covered by the federal CCS investment tax credit and other grants. Indeed, according to Strathcona’s press release concerning the project, the company that “Substantially all of Strathcona’s share of capital costs is expected to be recouped through the federal CCS investment tax credit and other grants.”

“The Government of Canada is providing yet another oil company with a massive handout,” said Levin in a statement to DeSmog. “Almost exactly a year ago, the Government of Canada released new rules ending fossil fuel subsidies. Yet they continue to break their promise by providing billions of dollars to some of the wealthiest companies in Canada. Despite carbon capture’s terrible track record, governments keep subsidizing the technology.” Despite these and other concerns from environmentalists and climate scientists about CCS, Canada’s environment minister, Steven Guilbeault, was particularly enthusiastic about the news, writing on social media that “it pays to put the tools in place that build a cleaner economy and a more sustainable future.”

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https://www.desmog.com/2024/08/26/canadas-new-greenwashing-law-hasnt-stopped-politicians-ccs-claims/