World’s biggest carbon capture project could ‘essentially drain Alberta’, experts warn – Canada’s National Observer

December 18, 2025

The world’s largest carbon capture and storage complex planned for northern Alberta could use most of the surplus water in the giant Cold Lake-Beaver River basin, potentially forcing water rationing in the province.

The $16.5-billion megaproject is a linchpin of the “grand bargain” energy deal signed by the Canadian government with Alberta last month. Many question marks hang over the project though, including how much water Pathways CCS — or any next generation carbon capture initiative — will actually consume.

The impact of water use by CCS facilities would be “manageable,” according to modelling commissioned by the province earlier this year. But research from Lorenzo Rosa, a CCS specialist at Stanford University’s Carnegie Science Institute, paints a very different picture: the Pathways project could swallow up as much as 740 litres of water for every tonne of carbon dioxide (CO₂) captured.

Read More: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/12/18/analysis/pathways-carbon-capture-water-use