International test centre for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture

The $8.5 million international centre will develop technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, especially those produced by the energy sector. The center will be located at the University of Regina, Canada. Its capture techniques will help decrease the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, and pave the way for new storage and disposal methods and new industrial uses for the gas. This work will help Canada and other countries respond to its international environmental commitments on climate change, while pioneering the global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over the long term. The proposed infrastructure will consist of facilities that will allow development of new technologies from bench scale research to pilot plant scale demonstration for the efficient utilization of fossil fuels with CO2 capture. The centre has two components: a $5.2-million pre-commercial scale technology demonstration plant at SaskPower's Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan and a $3.3-million pilot plant at the university for greenhouse gas technology development and screening. This combination makes this centre unique in the world. The centre will draw on the university's nation-leading expertise in CO2 capture using chemical systems. A technical board comprising industry and government sponsors will supervise testing. Three new full-time faculty researchers and one new engineer will be required to manage the centre and undertake research. Natural Resources Canada, Saskatchewan Energy & Mines and Government of Alberta will provide start-up costs for the project. The center's unique industrial partnerships involved in the centre including the oil and gas sector, coal sector, power generation sector, engineering, procurement and construction sector will provide operating supports over the next 5 year.