Montana Gov. Joins Forces on CCS with Saskatchewan, Signs Carbon Storage Bill

Saskatchewan and Montana officials last week said they would partner on the development of one of the largest international carbon capture and storage demonstration projects in the world.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on the construction of a “technology neutral CO2 plant at an existing coal-fired power plant in Saskatchewan that would have the flexibility to test a range of post-combustion carbon capture technologies. CO2 would then be stored in a new storage facility in eastern Montana. Construction of this facility would involve injection infrastructure with the option of using CO2 for enhanced oil recovery.

The MOU also calls for construction of pipeline infrastructure for the transportation of CO2 from the reference plant in Saskatchewan to the storage facility in Montana and development of a North American training facility to meet the needs of a growing CCS industry and regulators, based primarily at the University of Regina and Montana State University.

Both U.S. and Canadian federal governments are pushing CCS as a key solution in future international efforts to address climate change. The project would help Saskatchewan to meet the federal government’s target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20% below 2006 levels by 2020,” Wall said.

“CO2 is a global concern and it is time to work together to address this pressing issue,” Schweitzer said. “Montana has 30 per cent of the coal in America and in order to use our coal we need a solution to CO2. I am honored to be a part of this important project.”

Total cost of the project is estimated to be approximately C$150 million ($129 million) to design and build the CO2 reference plant, related CO2 pipeline infrastructure, and a North American training facility for CCS technicians. Montana did not publish a cost estimate.

With financial support, design and construction of the plant could begin as early as September 2009 and the plant could be operational as early as the summer of 2011. The goal for the reference plant is to test a range of technologies for capturing up to one million tonnes of CO2 over a four-year period.

In a related story, Montana’s Gov. Schweitzer on Wednesday signed a bill that creates regulatory guidelines for storing carbon dioxide underground in Montana, reports the Great Falls Tribune newspaper.

Senate Bill 498, which had failed to pass a number of times before, will allow a storage company to turn a site over to the state after 30 years if it is problem-free and gives ownership of underground pore spaces where gas might be stored to surface landowners, according to the newspaper.

Sources: Saskatchewan Premier, Great Falls Tribune