Regina Carbon and Capture Plan Still Happening

Despite recent concerns about GCC in Weyburn, plans are still foot to start the same in Regina, Saskatchewan. The article below is from the Petroleum Technology Research Centre in Regina.

Saskatchewan’s Deep Geological Carbon Capture Storage Project

Aquistore is a project designed to capture carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas currently being released into the atmosphere from the Consumers’ Co-operative Refinery (CCRL) in Regina, compress the captured CO2 and transport it by pipeline to a site where it will be injected to be permanently stored. CO2 capture and storage is a viable option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and this project has the potential to eliminate the annual CO2 emissions, which are equivalent to 45,000 vehicles.

The CO2 will be injected into a deep geologic formation that contains very saline brines at over 2 km depth. Deep saline formations are very deep, porous rocks containing water that is unusable because of its high salt or mineral content. These formations meet all the necessary criteria to provide safe, long-term storage of CO2. Once CO2 is injected into a deep saline formation, it is trapped by tiny pores within the storage rocks. Over time the CO2 dissolves in unusable water already in the rock formation and becomes securely trapped. The CO2 remains far below the surface, separated from usable groundwater by thick, impermeable barriers of dense rock.

Aquistore, which is being managed by the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, with 10 years of experience managing the IEA GHG Weyburn-Midale CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project, will conduct a detailed characterization of the deep saline formation near CCRL and identify a suitable storage location for CO2 injection. PTRC will also conduct a CO2 measurement, monitoring and verification program prior to and during the injection. SaskEnergy and Enbridge Inc. will build the pipeline to transport the CO2 from the refinery to the injection point.

At the storage location, one injection and two monitoring wells will be drilled. Schlumberger Carbon Services will oversee the drilling of these wells. Injection of small amounts of CO2 will commence in 2011, prior to commercial-scale delivery. Commercial-scale storage begins with the completion of the capture and pipeline portions of the project. Once the CO2 captured is injected, PTRC and researchers will employ advanced technologies to measure and monitor it in the geological formation.

Partners on the Aquistore project include:

•Consumers’ Co-operative Refineries Ltd.
•Enbridge Inc.
•Petroleum Technology Research Centre
•Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment (Go Green Fund)
•SaskEnergy
•SaskPower
•Schlumberger Carbon Services
•Sustainable Development Technology Canada