International demonstration of key CCS technology targets conclusion in 2011

BY ROSE RAGSDALE FOR GREENING OF OIL

The U.S. Department of Energy and Natural Resources Canada have jointly agreed to inject $5.2 million into the Greenhouse Gas Weyburn-Midale CO2 Monitoring and Storage project. The funds will be used to bring the world’s largest international CO2 storage project involving power generation facilities in North Dakota and depleted oil fields in Saskatchewan, Canada to successful conclusion in 2011.

NRCan and DOE July 20 said they will partner to renew funding for the International Energy Agency-sponsored project to allow its final phase to focus on best practices for safe and permanent storage of CO2 with enhanced oil recovery. The work will culminate a decade of research and dozens of studies by renowned international experts. DOE is providing $3 million in funding, and the Government of Canada has committed $2.2 million.

“These investments by Canada and the U.S. demonstrate our leadership and expertise in carbon capture and storage technology,” said Christian Paradis, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources.

“Working together, we have not only reduced carbon pollution, we have demonstrated that carbon capture and storage technology can play an important role in a clean energy future,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Greeningofoil.com first reported on developments at the Weyburn-Midale project Jan. 18. The project is conducted in conjunction with $2 billion of commercial CO2 injection operations in which Dakota Gas captures and compresses about 3 million tons of CO2 emissions annually from a coal gasification process, and transports some 8,000 metric tons of the greenhouse gas through a 205-mile pipeline daily to oil fields across the border to Canada, So far, a record 18 million metric tons of CO2 have been stored in the Weyburn and Midale oil fields.

The application of CCS to commercial power plants is seen by many experts as an important technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping mitigate potential climate change.

Contact Rose Ragsdale at roseragsdale@live.com