In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan the world’s first big carbon capture coal power plant has begun. The project will sequester almost all of its emissions–about a million tons of carbon per year.
Canadian utility SaskPower is undertaking the project at the 110 megawatt Boundary Dam power station near Estevan, Saskatchewan, where it will retrofit one of its units.
The unit will be transformed into a long-term producer of 110 megawatts of base-load electricity, meanwhile reducing greenhouse gas emissions by one million tons of carbon dioxide per year–the equivalent of taking over 250,000 cars off of the province’s roads every year.
The captured CO2 will be piped to oilfields in southern Saskatchewan where it will be used for enhanced oil recovery. Unused CO2 will be stored in SaskPower’s Aquistore project.
In addition to CO2, the project will also capture Sulphur Dioxide and Fly ash. These products will be sold for industrial use.
The experiment will cost $1.35 billion, but if it works, SaskPower will retrofit two other units at a cost 20-30 percent less. The utility has already gained insights into improvements on design and engineering from the current undertaking.
According to the company, “The Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Project is SaskPower’s flagship CCS initiative. Through the development of the world’s first and largest commercial-scale CCS project of its kind, SaskPower is making a viable technical, environmental and economic case for the continued use of coal.”
By Day Blakely Donaldson
World's First Big Carbon Capture Coal Plant Will Sequester 90% Of Its Emissions
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