Scientists and Industry Leaders Attend Carbon Capture Summit in Estevan

The Estevan Chamber of Commerce hosted a multitude of experts yesterday as scientists and leaders of the carbon capture industry gathered in Estevan for a one day Carbon Capture Summit. During the morning, attendees were treated to a tour of the facility. They then returned to the Southeast College for an afternoon of informational presentations. This was a chance for the experts to share their knowledge with the both the public and other members in the industry.

First to speak was Robert Mitchell from The Global CCS Institute. He spoke about the global implications of this technology. He mentioned the importance the Carbon Capture facility has on environmental concerns. Since regulations have been put into place, especially since the signing of the Paris Accord, many countries are trying to cut their emissions. However, green technology is not at a place where it can replace traditional forms of power generation such as coal and oil. Therefore, the need to capture these emissions is more and more imperative. He noted that in order to abide by the Paris Accord, 85 facilities need to be built a year for the next 20 years. And it is not only the coal and oil industry that is looking to control their emissions. Other industries such as concrete, steel, fertilizer and forestry have no other option than to capture their emissions. This in return, creates a demand for more carbon capture facilities to be built. He also added that the lessons learned through the construction and maintenance of the facility in Estevan, other facilities will know how to build even more efficient facilities.

Next was Norm Sacuta from PTRC. He spoke of the success of the Aquistore project. He also outlines the multitude of research and data collection that goes into projects like this. There are observation wells which can take samples all throughout the 3400 meters down. They can detect seismic activity such as earthquakes from around the world in order to ensure that no seismic activity is being created when CO2 is pumped into the wells. The sensors also monitors the rate of the ground rising. They have found that while most of Canada is rising due to the glaciers that have long since retreated, Saskatchewan is slowly sinking. With their sensors, they know that areas that pump CO2 into the ground is also sinking at a consistent rate as that of the rest of the area.

Dave Jobe, Director of Carbon Capture & Chemical Services at SaskPower Boundary Dam Power Station spoke about the challenges and hurdles that had to be overcome during the first months of operation. He outlined many instances where either faulty components or other issues forced shut downs. He added that most of the issues have now been resolved and they are looking to the facility to operate at full capacity in June. He chalks it all up to "the privilege of being first."

Ian Yeates, also with SaskPower, spoke on the environmental regulations side of the facility. He outlined how SaskPower is constantly using new technology and innovations to generate power in efficient and cost effective ways. He explained that natural gas and wind power is still a higher contributor of greenhouse gases than coal is with a carbon capture facility. And while there may be more advances in green technology, until we get there, coal with carbon capture is an effective and sustainable solution to generate power in a responsible way.

Members of Cenovus were also in attendance. Bill Stoneman and Vladmir Vikalo spoke on how CO2 is used to enhance oil recovery in their industry. The CO2 that is captured at Boundary Dam is sold to Cenovus who pump it underground where it turns in to a liquid due to the increased pressure underground. It then mixes with the oil and allows for extraction where they would not have been able to extract it otherwise. They spoke of the many hours spent in gathering data to know where the CO2 is going and to ensure that it doesn't go where it in not intended. However, CO2 causes increased corrosion so additional safeguards need to implemented in order to continue with the safe extraction of oil. They are very proud of their safety record which includes 25 years with no time lost to injuries and winner of the 2014 WorkSafe Saskatchewan Safe Employer award.

Last to speak was the Keynote Speaker for the afternoon, Minister of Environment for the government of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe. He spoke of the importance of having an economic and environmentally sustainable project in our own backyard. He has travelled to many countries outlining this technology to other countries in hopes that they will implement it across the world. He spoke of the breakthroughs already being made in Saskatchewan in terms of environmentally sound farming practices such as the move away from nitrate fertilizers and no till farming. He explained how through pulse farming, trade partnerships with countries such as Morocco have been formed and will continue to grow.

Estevan truly is a world leader in this industry and there is a lot that the rest of the world can learn from the work being done in Estevan.