Clean Coal Technology A Step Closer

Saskatchewan is one step closer to green power. Work on an actual carbon capture demonstration is beginning.

A conventional power plant has coal going in, electricity coming out, and carbon dioxide gas emitting in to the atmosphere. SaskPower won't meet tough environmental regulations in the future that way. By using carbon capture instead, the carbon dioxide comes out in liquid form to be used elsewhere.

Now what they need is test run to show it can be done on a large scale. And that's what SaskPower is doing with two international companies at the Boundary Dam Power Plant outside of Estevan. But the Crown's Mike Monea admits it's going to be costly, "the cost may be upwards of $100 million from SaskPower". And with $240 million from the federal Government received and more going forward this is likely to be a billion dollar project.

SNC Lavolin and Cansolv with provide the system and it has the potential of capturing one million tonnes of carbon. Which Stephen Bryce with Cansolv says is significant, "that is the equivalent to the emissions from more than 200,000 road vehicles". And that is about a quarter of the cars in Saskatchewan.

The NDP, while supportive of the carbon capture work, wonders why a local company was used, especially with the work underway at the Petroleum Rsearch Technology Centre at the University of Regina. The government maintains HTC did submit a proposal during the tendering stage, but withdrew it.

Once up and running this technology will produce enough power to light up one hundred and fifteen thousand homes. But first they have to determine whether it can work and our province is one of the first to try. If it does Saskatchewan just might help North America go green.