Grant: Alliance Grants

On July 2021, the Canadian government has submitted to the UN its Nationally Determined Contribution, committing Canada to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030, and to be net-zero by 2050. Stelco's integrated steelmaking route is the most efficient method of producing the high-quality steel required to support Canada's economy and the transition to green technologies. However, this process requires the use of carbon as a reductant for iron ore. A portion of the GHG emissions cannot be avoided with currently available technologies. While Stelco considers multiple approaches to reduce its carbon footprint in the long term, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an important approach to address the shorter-term GHG reduction goals while breakthrough technologies are under development. However, it is currently unclear as to the technical, economic and regulatory feasibility of CCS in Southwestern Ontario. While initial studies have indicated the potential of Haldimand-Norfolk as a location for long term geological sequestration, no in-depth geotechnical review or modelling has been conducted to evaluate the capacity and suitability for long-term carbon sequestration. It is also unclear as to the economic feasibility of CCS, and the optimum integration of CCS technologies into Stelco's complex industrial processes. Finally, there are also uncertainties related to regulatory frameworks for CCS in Ontario and to public perception and necessary stakeholder engagement. To address those uncertainties, Stelco has partnered with a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Waterloo with expertise in CCS and policy decision making. Through advanced modelling techniques, the CO2 storage study will characterize the above mentioned storage site in terms of its capacity and reservoir integrity, and develop an injection/monitoring strategy. The objective of the CO2 capture study is to estimate the economics of CCS when integrated with Stelco's operations. Other objectives are to provide policy recommendations for how Ontario might develop a CCS framework, and to provide recommendations for policy design and strategies for stakeholder engagement around such framework.