Harper Government Marks Opening of New SaskPower Carbon Capture Test Facility

OTTAWA, June 18, 2015 /CNW/ - Ed Komarnicki, MP for Souris–Moose Mountain, on behalf of the Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today congratulated SaskPower on the opening of its Carbon Capture Test Facility in Estevan, Saskatchewan. Situated near the Boundary Dam Carbon Capture Project, this is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.

The Government of Canada contributed $1.3 million toward the design of the facility through Natural Resources Canada's ecoENERGY Technology Initiative. This facility will offer international clients a unique platform for the testing of new and emerging technologies to capture carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired thermal facilities.  

The federal government is committed to advancing carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects as part of its efforts to protect the environment and develop energy resources in a responsible manner.

Since 2008, the Government of Canada has committed approximately $580 million to CCS technology research, development and demonstration initiatives. A total of $240 million was invested in SaskPower's Boundary Dam project, the world's first commercial post-combustion CCS project for coal-fired electricity, also situated in Estevan.

Quick Facts

• Since 2006, the Government of Canada has invested over $1.1 billion in energy technology innovation, leveraging over $4.4 billion from over 1,000 partners.
• The global market for clean energy is projected to double to $2.5 trillion by 2022 — an amount about twice the size of the entire Canadian economy.
• Canada's clean technology industry, valued at over $11 billion, is providing jobs for more than 49,900 people — a workforce that is expected to more than double, to over 100,000 jobs, by 2022.
• In 2014, Canada placed sixth in the world with $8 billion in renewable energy investments, up 23 percent from $6.5 billion in 2013.
• Coal regulations introduced by the Government of Canada are expected to result in a cumulative reduction in GHG emissions of about 214 megatonnes — the equivalent of removing 2.6 million cars from the road per year.

Quotes

"Our government is truly proud to have supported this innovative project. This world-class facility will allow companies from across Canada and around the globe to develop and test the next generation of carbon capture and storage technology, improving environmental performance and growing our economy."
Ed Komarnicki
Member of Parliament for Souris–Moose Mountain

Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan)

NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Media may contact: Alexandra Lemieux, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, 613-996-2007 or Media Relations, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, 613-992-4447; The general public may contact: Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EDT, Telephone: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]