Shell accused of greenwashing emissions from carbon capture tech

Oil giant Shell has been accused of greenwashing emissions figures at the Quest carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant in Edmonton, Canada in a report published by NGO Global Witness.

The Quest CCS facility is operated by Shell on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, a joint venture between Shell Canada (60%), Chevron (20%) and Marathon Oil (20%), which supplies around 10% of Canada's oil demand. It is one of the few plants of its type currently in operation at a fossil hydrogen facility.

Read more: World's largest carbon capture plant opens in Iceland

The technology used at Quest has been touted as a prime example of the Canadian strategy to curb emissions from its hydrogen sector. Due to the fact that the majority of hydrogen being produced today is made using methane, Ottawa has been increasingly interested in expanding CCS as a means of cutting emissions.

The Global Witness report however throws the project's utility and the government's energy plans into question. 

Shell claims to have captured five million tonnes of CO2 at Quest in less than five years, however, the report suggests it emitted a further 7.5 million tonnes during the same time period.

Global Witness claims that just 48% of the plant's emissions were actually captured, far short of the 90% carbon capture rate that has often been touted for fossil hydrogen projects.

"In just a few years, hydrogen has shot into mainstream conversations about tackling the climate crisis. It is now one of the most hotly discussed energy topics and a very particular form of hydrogen known as fossil hydrogen (or 'blue hydrogen’) is being pushed by the fossil fuel industry for government backing," said Global Witness.

Of the $1 billion overall cost of Quest, $654 million has come from Canadian government subsidies, the NGO claims.

"Oil and gas companies' promotion of fossil hydrogen is a fig leaf for them to carry on with their toxic practices – the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. The single best way for companies like Shell to help tackle the climate crisis is to phase out all fossil fuel operations, rather than find ways to hide their climate-wrecking activity behind false solutions," said Dominic Eagleton, Senior Gas Campaigner at Global Witness.

Read more: Carbon capture tech instantly converts CO2 to solid carbon

The NGO report also reveals how the project is part of Shell's controversial tar sands operations in Alberta. As well as being "one of the most environmentally damaging extractive developments in the world", according to Global Witness, the project has also been criticised for encroaching on indigenous lands, causing large-scale deforestation and creating air and water pollution. 

"In light of these findings, Global Witness is calling on governments around the world to resist demands from industry to provide financial and regulatory support for new fossil hydrogen projects and instead work to phase out existing ones and promote renewable-based alternatives," the NGO said.

Back to Homepage

Back to Energy & Utilities