Those who are not strong supporters of the Bounday Dam carbon capture and sequestration system, will continue to focus on the few negatives while dismissing the favourable facts surrounding this once controversial $1.5 billion project located just south of Estevan. That鈥檚 to be expected.
鈥淲e believe most Saskatchewan residents, remain behind us and this project,鈥� said Howard Matthews, vice-president of power production for SaskPower, the operators of the Boundary Dam Power Station which includes the BD3 carbon dioxide capture island.
Monthly reports have been issued for over a year and one glitch, early on, regarding reportage, has been addressed. 鈥淚 believe we retrieved our credibility after that one incident and have come to be seen as the reliable supplier with facts,鈥� said Matthews. 鈥淪ome people are just not strong supporters of coal. But we鈥檝e come a long way and proved to the world in 2015 we could do this and in 2016, it continued as a steady and reliable process that is working near maximum efficiency ratings.鈥�
Additional good news is found with the recent partnership with BHP Billiton in the formation of a universal knowledge centre that will help spread the word about carbon dioxide capture and sequestration processes and efficiency ratings.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the general public fully realizes how many tours we have conducted for people from around the globe 鈥� influential people who have seen the plant, got a feel for what it does and heard it in operation. They leave as believers of this being a solution for protecting the environment,鈥� said Matthews.
In December, BD3 captured 58,569 tonnes of carbon dioxide, completing the year with 792,533 tonnes captured and 1,332,200 million tonnes captured in total and prevented from entering the atmosphere since the plant鈥檚 opening in October of 2014. This is the聽 equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions from more than 330,000 vehicles.
In 2016, the carbon capture unit operated 84.8 per cent of the time, just 0.2 per cent under the 85 per cent target. The project was taken down for cleaning in December and due to the extreme weather conditions, a water pipeline froze, which extended the maintenance period. It gave the operators some knowledge and experience regarding how the process best performs and reacts in different situations.
The maximum rated capacity was tested in the past year, proving the design specifications of capturing 90 per cent of the CO2 in the exhaust gas at maximum capacity, was doable. They also met the needs of the carbon dioxide buyer, ending the year with a net profit on sales after figuring in expenses associated with financial penalties paid to the supplier for not meeting the contract requirements in the early stages.
BD3 currently exceeds federal emission regulations.
Matthews pointed out other carbon capture project developers around the world are testing various post-combustion capture processes using different amine and also applying what they learn to oil and natural gas plant emissions as well as coal-fired plants.
Hitachi, the company that partnered with SaskPower for a test facility at the nearby Shand Power Station, is on the second half of their experimentations on carbon capture using different solutions and technologies.
Matthews said incoming U.S. President Donald Trump knows about clean coal and has stated that his group is willing to look at all options with regards to coal-burning power plants.
鈥淭he more people get involved and use it, the cost of the technology comes down and therefore it makes if affordable for key customers, the large electrical users,鈥� Matthews added.
鈥淐apturing and sequestering carbon dioxide, we prove it works. There are value-added features too, such as the sale of CO2 to Cenovus, like we are doing. The flyash that is captured is useful on the revenue side for the concrete industry that uses it, which lowers their CO2 emissions. The sulphur dioxide has been captured at BD3 since this fall. Getting it equipped there took time, but it can be used for the manufacture of sulphuric acid, so there are electrical waste products that have value for other users.鈥�
In the meantime, SaskPower continues to procure more renewable wind and solar options.
鈥淲e got some good production from wind generators in the last few weeks,鈥� said Matthews.
鈥淓stevan could be well positioned from an energy perspective for a solar project. Panel prices have come down. The challenge though is to balance the cost structure to make power production from all sources, competitive,鈥� he said.
Getting wind and solar electrical production onto the grid efficiently, is a key.
鈥淚n the meantime, local businesses in Estevan, local residents and SaskPower employees understand what鈥檚 going on and it seems the support is there from a local perspective. SaskPower is still producing 24/7 and answering the call when needed,鈥� said Matthews.聽聽
