Canada is significantly increasing its investments in carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a key strategy against climate change. Currently, a research study is being conducted to investigate whether such storage could potentially trigger earthquakes. The research is being led by Honn Kao, a seismologist and a scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada, who has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from Natural Resources Canada for this purpose.
CCS is a technology that aims to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes that burn fossil fuels. Rather than allowing the CO2 to be released into the atmosphere, it is captured and then compressed into a liquid form before being injected underground. Over the course of five years, Kao and his team will monitor seismic activity at underground carbon storage facilities to understand the potential risks associated with such injections and explore ways to mitigate them.
Kao expressed concerns about the risks associated with this technology. “There is a possibility that certain carbon storage injection scenarios could increase the seismic risk,” he said. He pointed out that if any induced earthquakes are significant enough to be felt by local communities or cause damage, the regulatory agencies would have to halt the injection operations.
Instances of earthquakes triggered by injecting liquids underground, known as induced seismicity, have been well-documented in the US and Canada in relation to fracking and wastewater disposal. Kao’s previous research in the Peace region of British Columbia highlighted these risks. “When large-scale fluid injection takes place into subsurface formations, the stress perturbation caused by the injected fluids can be enormous, which can lead to the occurrence of earthquakes,” Kao explained.
However, he noted that, to date, no major earthquakes induced by carbon injections have been observed in Canada or globally, although he does anticipate minor seismic events in future. The risk of seismic activity is typically higher near tectonic plate boundaries. If a major earthquake were to occur and rupture the cap rock above a carbon storage area, it could pave the way for the injected CO2 to escape.
The Canada Energy Regulator currently lists 10 operating CCS projects in the country, with six in Alberta and four in Saskatchewan. Four additional projects are expected to be in operation within the next five years.
In his research, Kao will scrutinise real-time seismic activity. His team will examine the origins of any seismic events, determine if they are injection-related, and, if so, investigate the cause and any possible involvement of a fault line.
The Aquistore carbon storage facility in Estevan, Saskatchewan, overseen by the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, is one of several sites that Kao’s team will monitor. Erik Nickel, the centre’s chief operating officer, expressed his belief that the site is an ideal location for the study due to its lack of significant seismic activity and its position away from tectonic plate boundaries. He also voiced his scepticism about the risk of earthquakes from carbon storage but acknowledged the importance of such research.
Kao concluded by emphasising the need for a broader perspective. “We acknowledge the benefits of injection, especially in combating climate change,” he said. “However, we need to understand the price we are willing to pay and the level of risk we are ready to accept in this fight.”
