Carbon capture and storage (CCS) provides an opportunity to help British Columbia reach “net zero” carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050 (CleanBC, 2018, 2021). This project was commissioned to address a lack of coordinated public information about geological formations suitable for long-term CO2 storage in BC’s portion of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). Its goals included the identification of favourable geology for CO2 storage in Northeastern British Columbia (NE BC), and developing an understanding of ultimate CO2 volumes that may be stored geologically. This information is needed to improve decision-making for policy, regulation and industry. There are many recent technical studies in the public domain characterizing reservoirs within the WCSB. This project follows seminal work by Bachu (2006). The atlas has collated available public information and studies, while CDL provided geological support to fill in any gaps between previously existing datasets. The atlas is a compilation of maps and a comprehensive report identifying the formations and areas that may be most favourable for carbon sequestration. Identifying areas with sufficient storage potential, in conjunction with the locations of stationary CO2 emitters and existing infrastructure, will assist in the evaluation and informed decision making for potential carbon storage and hydrogen projects. The atlas identifies 4.3 Gt of CO2 storage potential in formations in NE BC. Storage potential was calculated in depleted gas pools and saline aquifers for 12 formations (or groups of formations) that met some basic screening criteria, and had sufficient information available for a high-level quantification of storage potential. The atlas also provides an overview of CO2 capture, separate formation chapter summaries and storage calculations.
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