The City of Estevan is working to get the attention of the man behind Tesla, Space X and other innovation-leading businesses.
When Elon Musk sent out a tweet looking for the best carbon capture technology, the City of Estevan knew that the carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility at SaskPower鈥檚 Boundary Dam Power Station is definitely worth showing off.
To get the message to Musk, Mayor Roy Ludwig has written and sent a letter inviting Musk to the city to view the technology.
鈥淲hen we first saw the tweet and heard about the XPRIZE contest, we knew we had an opportunity to showcase this world class technology and promote the environmental and economic benefits that this facility has brought to our city,鈥� said Mayor Roy Ludwig.
鈥淚ndustry and government officials from across the globe have toured and researched this facility and it has been the blueprint for other CCS projects in the world. Estevan is also home to the carbon capture test facility at the Shand Power Station.鈥�
Ludwig added that he is hoping the community will get behind the campaign and help build the conversation by sharing the letter and tagging Elon Musk online. The letter can be found on the Estevan Economic Development Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
The carbon capture facility is attached to the retrofitted 120-megawatt Unit 3 at Boundary Dam. It captures the carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of it being released into the atmosphere. This reduces carbon emissions from the coal-fired power unit, while producing a reliable, clean source of energy.
The carbon capture facility is capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to one million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year 鈥� the equivalent to taking 250,000 cars off the road.
SaskPower鈥檚 Boundary Dam Unit 3 (BD3) is the world鈥檚 first fully integrated and full-chain CCS facility on a coal-fired power plant. The full chain cluster of facilities is within close proximity to the BD3 facility, providing for a full demonstration and operation of proven and safe CCS.
This comprehensive commercial operating experience provides insight into technology and other requirements which are not available anywhere else.
Estevan鈥檚 vibrant, growing and diverse economy is characterized by power generation, coal mining, agriculture, manufacturing and oil and gas drilling. Estevan has become known as the Energy Capital of Saskatchewan 鈥� a distinction based on an extraordinary resource base and the strong resource sector that is serviced primarily out of Estevan.
