Saskatchewan and a Japanese company have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding a new system to monitor carbon capture and storage.
During a trade mission to Asia, premier Brad Wall, and officials from SaskPower, K-Coal Canada Co. Ltd. and Chugai Technos signed the agreement at Chugai headquarters.
Beginning in April 2014, SaskPower will store some of the carbon dioxide captured from the integrated carbon capture and storage demonstration project at Boundary Dam near Estevan, Sask.
Chugai Technos will establish the monitoring system that, according to a news release, will allow access to the condition of the ground carbon dioxide concentration at the site. Prototypes of the company’s leakage monitoring system will be deployed at several locations.
The carbon capture facility was built with $1.24 billion from SaskPower, the province and Ottawa. A rebuilt Unit #3 at Boundary Dam will capture about one million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which will in turn be sold to Cenovus Energy. The surplus will be injected into a nearby saline aquifer.
Wall said the MOU will verify the performance and economic efficiency of capture technology.
