Saskatchewan’s global leadership on carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) will be showcased tomorrow for visiting members of a United States congressional delegation.
Senators Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina) and Sheldon Whitehouse (Democrat, Rhode Island) along with Congressman Tom Rice (Republican, South Carolina) will join Premier Brad Wall Wednesday for a tour of SaskPower’s new leading-edge Boundary Dam 3 project.
“The Boundary Dam 3 project has technology which has worldwide application in the push for clean coal power sources and the mitigation of the effects of climate change,” Wall said. “We’ve been promoting Saskatchewan expertise and this project globally and we welcome this opportunity to show Boundary Dam 3 to another group of American political leaders and influencers.
“Coal accounts for about 39 per cent of U.S. electricity, so obviously there’s a keen interest in being able to drastically reduce emissions while providing affordable, reliable energy in that country. The U.S. also has the world’s largest coal reserves and is the world’s second-largest coal producer.”
SaskPower’s facility is the first commercial power plant in the world to be equipped with a fully integrated post-combustion carbon capture system. That system captures 90 per cent of the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions, which is equivalent to taking 250,000 vehicles off the road.
The premier noted that this is the third visit to Saskatchewan by Senator Graham but his first to Boundary Dam 3. The influential senator is a strong advocate of CCS and clean coal initiatives. Senator Whitehouse is one of the most vocal proponents in Congress for action on climate change and Congressman Rice is a supporter of stronger partnerships with Canada and Mexico on energy infrastructure.
During their day in Saskatchewan, members of the congressional delegation will also be briefed about SaskPower’s carbon capture test facility and tour the facility.
The two senators and congressman are accompanied on their visit by members of their staff and by Briana Reenshuler, Acting U.S. Consul General in Calgary.
