SaskPower announced February 5 the creation of a global centre for carbon capture and storage (CCS) knowledge to be located at the Innovation Place Research Park in Regina.
Establishing the new centre includes a $20 million contribution from BHP Billiton over five years, while SaskPower will contribute its CCS expertise and experience gained through its various CCS initiatives.
BHP Billiton Chief Commercial Officer Dean Dalla Valle said accelerating the development and deployment of low-emissions technologies is vital. “By enhancing global access to the data, information and lessons learned from SaskPower’s unique Boundary Dam facility – the first power project to successfully integrate carbon capture, transport and storage – we will hopefully stimulate broader deployment of the technology,” Mr. Dalla Valle said.
The centre’s mission is to help accelerate the development and application of CCS, which has been identified as essential in the global effort to reduce greenhouse emissions by the United Nations, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the Pembina Institute, among other organizations.
The deployment of CCS is particularly crucial in the power sector, the partners say. Currently, there are more than 2,300 coal-fired power plants operating around the world, according to the World Coal Association. Another 2,440 plants are being planned or constructed, says a report released in December at the COP21 climate summit in Paris.
The work undertaken at the centre is intended to help bring down the costs of CCS technology, assist in the management of development risk and promote greater information sharing around the world.
BHP Billiton is one of the world’s largest mining companies. The firm runs a globally diversified coal business with operations in Australia, the United States and South America. It produces coal for the power and steel industries. BHP Billiton also runs a potash business headquartered in Saskatoon.