REGINA – While summer vacation for most may be reserved for leisure, this is not the case for 40 Ph.D., post doctorate, engineering and policy students who have the opportunity to attend the annual International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG)'s CCS Summer School – taking place July 10-14 in Regina.
Hailing from 29 countries, students are competitively selected on merit, recommendations and a desire to fully immerse themselves in learning about carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.
"We are very excited to be bringing the International CCS Summer School and these bright and motivated international students to Saskatchewan and the International CCS Knowledge Centre for the fourth time. Saskatchewan is recognized globally as a centre of excellence on CCUS, with the International CCS Knowledge Centre and SaskPower's Boundary Dam CCS project. It is the best location in the world to learn about CCUS," says Tim Dixon, general manager, IEAGHG.
The IEAGHG International CCS Summer School, which travels annually around the globe to differing host countries, has returned to Regina (the only repeat city) for the fourth time. The draw to this location is the International CCS Knowledge Centre, based in the Saskatchewan capital, which provides the unique opportunity to provide a hands-on CCS experience through tours of SaskPower's fully integrated Boundary Dam Unit 3 Carbon Capture and Storage Facility (BD3). BD3 is the world's first and only CCS facility on a commercial power plant that has captured and safely stored more than 5 million tonnes of CO2 since it began operation in 2014.
"The International CCS Knowledge Centre is proud to host such a diverse group of students who can take the technical and strategic expertise gained from this Summer School forward around the globe to truly make a difference in the climate change fight and build a better world for future generations," says James Millar, president and CEO, International CCS Knowledge Centre.
The students will get to witness CCS technology in action, learning how large-scale CCS is a critical tool for achieving the world's ambitious emissions reduction targets, and how lessons learned from BD3 and other existing CCS projects can accelerate the deployment of the next generation of CCS technology across heavy industries around the world.
The IEAGHG, as the proprietor of the CCS summer school - now in its 15th year - aims to broaden the knowledge base around CCS in industrialized and developing countries, particularly at an academic level. Throughout an intensive week of learning, the CCS summer school programme covers every aspect of CCS, from technical, such as: capture, transport, storage and industrial uses, through regulation, policy, financing and communication.
Along with international students, the summer school attracts global experts with the most recent information available in each field. With 677 alumni representing over 59 countries, the summer school has played a key role in many moving on to successful careers within CCS industry and academia.
This year's event will take place at the University of Regina, highlighted with a field trip to BD3 and the Aquistore CCS storage site near Estevan.
