Engineering companies hired for Saskatchewan’s Clean Coal Project

SaskPower, the major electricity generator in Saskatchewan, is proceeding with its project to examine the viability of building a $1.5 billion, 300-MW “clean” coal-fired power plant. In July, SaskPower selected Neill and Gunter as the primary project consultant for the feasibility studies on the project. Neill and Gunter has opened a new office in Regina to do the work and was to hire 50 new employees over the next two years. <br>
Babcock & Wilcox Canada is supplying the design and engineering studies for a supercritical pressure pulverized coal-fired boiler that would be used in the proposed plant. The company has been involved at the International Test Centre at the University of Regina for the past few years doing work on carbon dioxide sequestration and clean coal initiatives. Hitachi and Marubeni are providing design and engineering studies for a steam turbine generator and related systems.<br>
The concept for the clean coal power plant is for it to capture at least 90 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions. That carbon dioxide would be sequestered underground and sold to oil companies for enhanced oil recovery operations. The plant would capture about 8,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a day and have “near zero” emissions.<br>
Saskatchewan has a 300-year supply of low-cost lignite coal, so the project would help it to continue to benefit from that resource while mitigating the environmental impacts of burning the fuel. The two potential sites for the plant are at Coronach and Estevan. A decision on which location is chosen is expected in 2007. <br>