TheGovernment of Saskatchewan and the Japan Coal Energy Center (JCOAL)have a new Memorandum of Understanding to encourage more co-operationbetween the province and Japan on technologies respecting clean coal andcarbon capture and storage.
Energy and Resources MinisterBill Boyd and JCOAL Chairman Yoshihiko Nakagaki signed the MOU today inTokyo during the minister's resources investment mission to Asia.
Theagreement sets the stage for future information exchanges and researchprojects involving scientists and companies in both jurisdictions andcould lead to Japanese investment in Saskatchewan carbon capture andstorage projects.
"JCOAL has a great track record in cleancoal technology research and Saskatchewan is a world leader in carboncapture and storage technology," Boyd said. "It's taken a lot of work onboth sides to make this MOU happen, and the relationships we establishthrough it will help both Saskatchewan and Japan as our industries andutilities work to reduce their environmental footprints."
Saskatchewanis Canada's third largest coal producer, with reserves that will lasthundreds of years at current production levels.
"Thetechnical co-operation coming out of this MOU may well help us unlocksome of our province's deeper coal resources, which require new andinnovative technologies to be developed," Boyd said.
JCOALis a non-profit organization representing more than 100 Japanese coal,gas, steel and mining companies as well as manufacturers and electricityutilities. It receives funding from Japan's Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry and its subsidiary, the New Energy and IndustrialTechnology Development Organization.
Saskatchewan's expertise incarbon capture and storage technology includes the International EnergyAgency Greenhouse Gas Weyburn-Midale CO2 Monitoring and Storage Projectbeing led by the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC); theInternational Test Centre for CO2 Capture at the University of Regina;the International Performance Assessment Centre for Geologic Storage ofCO2; PTRC's Aquistore Project; and SaskPower's integrated carbon captureand sequestration project at Boundary Dam, among other research.
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For more information, contact:
Bob Ellis
Energy and Resources
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1691
Email: robert.ellis@gov.sk.ca