For many years, Canada has been a powerhouse within the global energy sector, bringing together the vital oil and gas reserves of the country while working to deliver critical renewable energy resources needed for the future. With such a wealth of energy projects and potential across the country, Shell has long played a key role in Canada’s energy development and today has operations spanning the upstream, downstream, integrated gas and renewables sector. Therefore, Shell’s operations cover everything from initial exploration to the production, refining and manufacturing of fuels, and even in developing energy solutions for customers. However, a key driver of its future development remains focused on helping the country reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and so the sector, along with Shell, is working to implement more renewable energy developments across the country.
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Shell began its operations in Canada in 1911, and now, over a century later, is fully integrated into every aspect of the country’s energy sector. Today, Shell Canada operates as an energy and petrochemical company under the global Shell group’s portfolio, delivering a diverse range of projects and facilities across Canada to support the country’s energy development now and for the future. Some of the key projects under Shell Canada include LNG Canada, the Scotford Complex, Groundbirch and Gold Creek, as well as carbon capture projects. All of these projects are delivering vital oil and gas resources to market, whilst being underpinned by emission reducing operations.
LNG Canada is one of the most significant developments for Shell Canada, as it is the largest private-sector energy investment in Canada’s history. The joint venture company of LNG Canada is comprised of 5 global energy companies, all of which have substantial experience in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector. Shell Canada holds a 40% interest in LNG Canada alongside PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corporation and KOGAS. The Joint Venture aims to spearhead responsible LNG development in Canada, with the goal of becoming a top 5 LNG producer globally. LNG Canada operations span an export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia, that processes and stores LNG. Then the facility encompasses LNG loading lines, a marine terminal, a rail yard, a water treatment facility, flare tacks, and workforce accommodation to help support the operations of the facility every day.
The facility will export LNG from two processing units with a total capacity of 14 million tonnes per annum (mpta) of LNG. Therefore, the facility is a vital hub for LNG development that will significantly contribute to Canada’s LNG production and deliver essential LNG fuels not only Canadian use, but for use around the globe. In June 2025, LNG Canada announced that the first cargo of LNG had left the export facility in Kitimat. Speaking on the announcement, Cedric Cremers, Shell’s President of Integrated Gas, said, “LNG Canada grows our leading integrated gas portfolio, providing a reliable supply of LNG to markets, most notably in Asia”. Cremers continues, “We expect that supplying LNG will be the biggest contribution Shell will make to the energy transition over the next decade, and projects like LNG Canada position our portfolio to achieve this”. As we can see from Cremers’ comments, LNG Canada is and will continue to play a key role under Shell’s integrated gas portfolio, helping to deliver vital resources that are pivotal to achieving global energy transition goals.
Aside from its significant LNG production, the project has already employed 50,000 to date and has secured more than CAD 5.8 billion in contracts. Many of these have been awarded to local and indigenous businesses in British Columbia, highlighting the role of LNG Canada not just in the energy market but in the local socio-economic development of British Columbia for many years to come. Thus, LNG Canada provides a new source of economic development for the region, whilst helping to deliver competitive, secure and reliable energy in a vital partnership with local communities. Over the coming years, LNG Canada’s export facility is expected to expand, doubling the facility’s capacity to 28 mtpa by the early 2030s. The project’s phase 2 expansion is expected to take a Final Investment Decision (FID) in 2026.
Another key development of Shell Canada is the Groundbirch project, which is a natural gas production operation located in northeast British Columbia. The project spans 500 producing gas wells and four gas plants, which produce methane, natural gas liquids and condensate. The resources are produced from the Montney formation, which is located 2,500 metres below ground, trapped in a mixture of siltstone and shale. Groundbirch uses drilling technology, including several wells that help access the natural gas resources, whilst minimising its footprint and land disturbance in the process. Alongside this, Gold Creek, another key project delivering vital resources across the Montney Formation for Shell Canada is operating. The Gold Creek project uncovers shale oil and gas across 30 on stream wells. These wells currently produce around 3,000 barrels of equivalent oil per day. Thus, with significant shale oil and gas delivery, Gold Creek, much like Groundbirch, play a significant role in supporting the energy transition, by helping Shell Canada meet the energy demands of today, whilst working towards the future of global energy development.
One of the most significant developments under Shell Canada is the Shell Scotford Complex, which consists of a bitumen upgrader, oil refinery, chemicals plant and the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Facility. The complex is divided into 4 key steps, the first of which is the Bitumen Upgrader, which processes heavy, raw crude oil into lighter, high-quality synthetic crude oil. Then, the complex’s Oil Refinery refines the synthetic crude oil into everyday products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. From here, byproducts are processed through the chemical plant into styrene monomer and ethylene glycol, which are used in manufacturing. The final step is the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS) Facility, which captures carbon dioxide produced during operations and stores it safely deep underground.
Throughout the oil delivery process at the Shell Scotford Complex, sustainability remains a key priority, and this is exemplified by the Quest CCS Facility. For Shell, it is committed to working to reduce emissions throughout its projects, whilst delivering the vital resources needed to power our everyday lives. Thus, with the development of the Quest CSS Facility, Shell Canada are highlighting the importance of such processes, and working with the government, customers and partners to advance the adoption of carbon capture operations not just in Canada but across the global energy sector. The Quest CCS Facility was previously operated by Shell Canada on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP), which held a 90% ownership interest in the asset, with Shell Canada holding the remaining 10%. However, in November 2025, Shell completed an asset swap which saw it increase its interest in the Scotford Upgrade and Quest CCS facility to 20%, giving AOSP its remaining 10% interest in the Albian Sands mines. This increase in interest highlights Shell Canada’s commitment to delivering energy projects and assets that are working towards delivering a more sustainable future.
An exciting upcoming development of Shell Canada is the Polaris Carbon Capture project. The project is designed to capture around 650,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually from the Scotford refinery and chemical complex. The project will work alongside the Quest CCS Facility to help reduce emissions from the site. In June 2024, Shell Canada announced the FID for Polaris Carbon Capture, along with the FID for the Atlas Storage Hub. The Atlas Storage Hub will be a multi-phase open access hub, developed, owned and operated in partnership between Shell Canada and ATCO EnPower to provide customers in the area with transportation and sequestration services for all their carbon dioxide emissions. Speaking on the announcement of both FIDs, Hulbert Vigeveno, Shell’s Downstream, Renewable and Energy Solutions Director outlines that, “The Polaris and Atlas projects are important steps in reducing emissions from our own operations”. Vigeveno also notes that in line with the Paris Agreement, these projects will help Canada achieve its climate goals, reducing overall emissions produced by the Shell’s oil and gas operations within Canada. Both projects are expected to begin operation towards the end of 2028.
Across Shell Canada’s operations, there is a keen focus on bringing vital oil and gas resources to market, but in the most sustainable way possible. Across every development, asset, and project, Shell Canada’s projects are underpinned by a drive to cut emissions, capture carbon and protect the communities it works within for the future. From the vital work of LNG Canada to the Scotford Complex, and even the upcoming Polaris CCS Facility and Atlas Storage Hub developments, Shell Canada is spearheading vital oil and gas development that will support the world towards the energy transition, whilst providing the energy infrastructure needed to support sustainable energy delivery for the future.
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