Saskatchewan's $1.24 billion carbon-capture project

The government of Saskatchewan has approved construction of the Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration Project, which is among the first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage facilities in the world. The $1.24 billion project will transform an aging generating unit at Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan into a producer of reliable, clean electricity, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately one million tonnes per year — the equivalent of taking more than 250,000 vehicles off Saskatchewan roads each year — in addition to capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) for enhanced oil recovery.

"SaskPower and its private-sector partners are leading the world in the development of a technology that will help to address climate change while ensuring that we can continue to use coal as an energy source for many years to come," said Minister Rob Norris, who is responsible for SaskPower.

Construction on the project will begin immediately, with operations commencing in 2014. The new generating unit at Boundary Dam will have the capacity to generate 110 megawatts (MW) of electricity. In addition to capturing CO2 for enhanced oil recovery operations, the Boundary Dam project will also capture sulfur dioxide (SO2) to be used in the production of sulphuric acid. BD+C

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