The project represents a $C240 million ($A275.9 million) federal government investment in the $1.4 billion SaskPower project, as well as a $580 million investment in the research, development and demonstration of CCS technologies.
Organisations such as Natural Resources Canada’s ecoEnergy Technology Initiative, the Clean Energy Fund, ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative and the Program for Energy Research Development have all benefited from the government funding for CCS development.
The project funding was delivered as part of the country’s 2008 budget and falls in line with new regulations setting stringent performance standards for new coal-fired electricity generation units.
Unit 3 at the power station will now operate as a long-term producer of clean electricity, collecting carbon dioxide emissions from the power plant and sealing them 3.4km underground.
The sequestration project is expected to capture up to a million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, carrying on a clean energy legacy for Canada as a whole.
The Canuks have some of the highest clean energy generation stats in the world, producing from 79% non-emitting sources, including 61.2% hydro, 3.3% non-hydro and 14.5% nuclear.
The country was also recognised by the International Energy Agency as a global leader in the research, development and demonstration of CCS technologies thanks to its government investment.
In other Canadian renewables-related news, one of the world’s largest solar power companies, Canadian Solar, has sold three of its solar power plants through its subsidiary Canadian Solar Solutions to Alberta-based energy company TransCanada.
The William Rutley, Liskeard 3 and Liskeard 4 power stations total 30 megawatts of generation between them and are valued at more than $180 million.
William Rutley is in Ingleside, Ontario, while the Liskeard stations are in Temiskaming Shores in the same province.
TransCanada is one of the largest providers of gas storage and related services in the continental US and owns more than 11,800MW of power generation in the US and Canada.
