Project Overview
Funded through ERA’s Accelerating Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCUS) Technologies (ACT) 3 challenge in 2022, the general objective of the Advance Multitemporal Modeling and Optimization of CO2 Transport, Utilization and Storage Networks (ACT!ON) project, was to determine how to develop an efficient infrastructure that connects CO2 sources with geological storage and non-geological utilization options, as part of regional decarbonization efforts. The University of Alberta (UofA) developed and validated digital models to optimize the entire CCUS chain, helping stakeholders in planning and designing large-scale flexible CCUS networks and enabling more efficient decarbonization efforts.
Utilizing Digital Models to Optimize Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage
The key technology of ACT!ON is a model that simulates a multitemporal assessment, a technique used to study changes that occur over time in a specific location. UofA’s multitemporal integrated assessment model can simulate short-term (daily operations), medium-term (system evolution) and long-term (climate target alignment) dynamics for CCUS networks. This approach helps stakeholders navigate the complex challenges associated with CCUS, such as geological constraints, economic variability, regulatory uncertainty and engineering limitations. Additionally, the project integrated modular proxy models that simulate subsurface and engineering processes, including geological flow barriers, geomechanical risks and well performance.
These models formed the building blocks of optimized CCUS networks, linking multiple CO2 suppliers to various storage sites such as saline aquifers, depleted fields, and EOR operations. By providing practical design tools and workflows, ACT!ON supports the development of safe, scalable, and future-proof CO2 infrastructure, offering a critical pathway toward meeting regional and global decarbonization goals. Improving how CO2 is captured and stored can help prevent emissions from entering the atmosphere and can cut costs by reducing the need for extra pipelines and equipment, saving money on construction and operations. Overall, the ACT!ON project provided an assessment tool that supports large-scale decarbonization planning and enables future CCUS infrastructure across regions such as Alberta, the U.S.A. and Europe.
Understanding How Technological Integration and International Collaboration Can Improve CCUS Planning Tools
During the project, the team developed, validated and integrated dozens of proxy models, built a multi-agent simulation environment for CCUS network optimization, and applied the modelling framework to CCUS case studies in Europe and Alberta. The team also generated over a dozen publications throughout the project. These activities advanced the technology from early-stage concepts to tools ready for use in real industrial cluster planning, including case studies like Teesside in the UK and the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line system. The successful development of storage, transport and utilization proxy models demonstrated how interdisciplinary methods, such as combining machine learning with geomechanical modelling, can dramatically improve computational efficiency, reinforcing the value of innovative, hybrid technical approaches. Additionally, the complex regional case studies showed that integrated CCUS networks consistently outperform isolated ones, highlighting that holistic planning can reduce infrastructure redundancy and improve cost effectiveness. Likewise, work completed for the Alberta scenario revealed that storage readiness and pipeline layout directly influence decarbonization outcomes, illustrating the need to align technical modelling with regulatory and infrastructure realities.
Along the way, several challenges emerged, including early delays in proxy model development, staffing issues and delays in signing the consortium agreement. However, these challenges were managed through updated leadership and scheduling adjustments, keeping the project largely on track. These challenges highlighted to the team that early, regular communication and strong collaboration across international partners enhance knowledge sharing and collective problem-solving, especially in a project involving many technical disciplines and organizations. Overall, the combination of challenges and successful outcomes demonstrated that effective CCUS network design requires early coordination, adaptable modelling frameworks and continuous integration of geological, engineering and economic insights.
What’s next?
After the project’s completion in 2025, the UofA plans to publish more results as they become available in scientific journals and present at the next International GHGT conference. This project highlighted the need for strategic planning in CCUS deployment, recommending an integrated network approach to optimize cost efficiency and infrastructure utilization. The team notes that future research should include more detailed parameters for capture costs, dynamic storage capacity and external factors like regulatory policies, land use restrictions for routing and operational feasibility, ensuring the proposed decarbonization strategies evolve toward successful implementation. Opportunities to further advance this research will surface as new capture and utilization technologies continue to evolve.