THE PATHWAYS ALLIANCE FORGING THE OIL SANDS PATH TO NET ZERO

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The Pathways Alliance: Forging the Oil Sands Path to Net Zero

BY THE PATHWAYS ALLIANCE

In June, the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero initiative was launched to chart real, workable solutions to the critical challenge of climate change. The Pathways Alliance is now comprised of six companies (in alphabetical order): Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips Canada, Imperial, MEG Energy and Suncor Energy, operating facilities representing approximately 95 per cent of Canada’s oil sands production. The Pathways Alliance has a phased approach that includes continuing our efforts to reduce emissions today, while deploying existing and ground-breaking new carbon reduction solutions on an unprecedented scope and scale. The implementation of our vision will be a significant step in helping Canada meet its Paris Agreement commitments and 2050 net zero aspirations. While great advancements are being made in the development of renewable and other energies, all internationally recognized forecasts indicate that oil will continue to be an essential part of the global energy mix to 2050 and beyond. Given Canada’s global leadership on all other environmental, social and governance measures, our vision is that Canadian oil sands production with net zero emissions should be the globally preferred source of this continued demand. Our energy will provide long-term security for

Canada and our trading partners and will continue to support jobs, create new clean-tech industries and spur economic growth for our country. The objective of reaching net zero emissions will rely heavily on technology and innovation and requires significant investment from both industry and the federal and provincial governments. As there is no single solution to get us there, our initiative will include several parallel pathways to address GHG emissions.

“The Pathways Alliance is continuing our efforts to reduce emissions today, while deploying existing and ground-breaking new carbon reduction solutions on an unprecedented scope and scale”

“Our vision is that Canadian oil sands production with net zero emissions should be the globally preferred source”

The foundation of the Pathways vision is the development of a major carbon capture network. This includes a carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) transportation line connecting oil sands facilities in the Fort McMurray, Christina Lake and Cold Lake regions of Alberta to a carbon sequestration hub near Cold Lake. The transportation line will be scalable to gather captured CO2 from more than 20 oil sands facilities and transport it safely to the sequestration hub for storage. The carbon capture network will also be available to other producers and industries interested in capturing and sequestering their own emissions. The Pathways CCUS project is similar to other projects already in service or under development elsewhere such as the Longship/Northern Lights project in Norway and the Porthos project in the Netherlands. CCUS projects are also in service in the U.K., the U.S. and here in Canada. In fact, Alberta is already a global leader in this technology. The Pathways carbon capture network represents the largest project of its kind announced to date. CCUS is one of a handful of technologies envisioned by the Pathways Alliance. We are also exploring other opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce or eliminate emissions from processes that are not well suited for carbon capture, including fuel substitution and electrification. The Pathways initiative is also working to accelerate the development of potential emerging emissions-reducing technologies such as direct air capture. Net zero emissions from Canadian oil sands operations is a major opportunity for our country. As companies representing almost all of Canada’s major oil sands facilities, we are committed to the ambitious Pathways vision. We’re working collaboratively with governments, as well as local and indigenous communities, to achieve a phased and orderly reduction in emissions from our operations. We are helping Canada achieve its climate goals, including its net zero by 2050 ambitions. Transitioning to a low-carbon future can and should include responsiblyproduced, net zero Canadian oil. Click the image below to watch our video.

“The Pathways carbon capture network represents the largest project of its kind announced to date” “We are helping Canada achieve its climate goals, including its net zero by 2050 ambitions”