Our history

The Pathways initiative began in 2021, when Canadian Natural, Cenovus Energy, Imperial, MEG Energy and Suncor came together to advance a CO₂ emissions strategy and a proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. ConocoPhillips Canada joined the initiative later that year.

In 2022, Pathways Alliance (renamed Oil Sands Alliance in 2026) was formed, consisting of six of Canada’s largest oil sands companies: Canadian Natural, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips Canada, Imperial, MEG Energy and Suncor. COSIA, which was originally founded in 2012 to accelerate collaborative innovation in oil sands environmental technology, also joined Pathways Alliance that year, further strengthening the alliance’s shared approach to innovation.

In 2024, Canadian Natural, on behalf of the project proponents, began filing regulatory submissions for the CO₂ Transportation Network and Storage Hub. When operational, it will transport CO₂ from multiple oil sands facilities to a capped sandstone formation in the Cold Lake area of Alberta for underground storage.

In 2025, Cenovus acquired MEG Energy, bringing the Pathways Alliance industry association to five member companies. The following year, the association was renamed Oil Sands Alliance to better reflect its purpose and mandate. The Pathways name is now used exclusively to refer to the proposed CO₂ transportation network and storage hub, which continues to be known as the Pathways Project.

Today, Oil Sands Alliance’s commitment to progress continues as we work to meet global energy needs while advancing environmental innovation.