Skip to content

The project that's begging for the green light

It's difficult to believe that the province, and SaskPower in particular, won't be moving ahead with a major clean coal project within the next two months.


It's difficult to believe that the province, and SaskPower in particular, won't be moving ahead with a major clean coal project within the next two months.

There are still a few negative factors that are no doubt weighing heavily on the shoulders of the ultimate decision makers, but it has become increasingly clear over the past year that thermal power and the carbon world are going to be with us for a few decades yet. So let's start talking about all these "new" items.

Handling this relatively new scenario in a new world order with carbon as a new commodity is the new reality.

Those who are anxious to bring in the so-called green generation of power (mostly solar and wind) are well intentioned and gaining momentum, but the reality is such that we'll have to deal with carbon dioxide and its family members of greenhouse gases for a number of years yet, so it's about time we got on with the job.

China has already committed to coal and carbon and is now taking the lead role in making their production cleaner.

Canada - Saskatchewan - SaskPower can, however, set the new standard.

It comes with a financial cost, but those costs are already coming down as more and more is known about how we can capture carbon dioxide, sequester it and then use it later for value added production in the oil fields and elsewhere.

The latest costs associated with the earmarked Unit No. 3 at Boundary Dam come in at around $1.2 to $1.4 billion. Those estimates have not escalated since the idea was first spawned over three years ago. That bodes well.
The retrofitted unit won't lose as much pure electrical output as first estimated. That too, bodes well.

The fact that pre-decision excavation and construction work continues at Boundary Dam also bodes well.

What doesn't look so promising is the fact that the United States is dithering in its decision-making regarding carbon capture, trade and/or taxation which hinders Canadian decision-makers since our mandarins are convinced they need to follow in the footsteps of the American planners, rather than vice versa.

So we wallow in the waiting game. With that waiting game comes a clear message that our federal government will just not commit to any further funding for a pilot project in Saskatchewan over and above the $240 million that was announced more than two years ago. In fact, an exciting pilot plant concept that was touted for Estevan's Shand Power Station that would allow the world's scientists and engineers to test carbon capture on a commercially viable scale was met with a big yawn from Ottawa.

But it appears to us at this stage of the project, Saskatchewan can and should move forward into the 21st century with this environmentally friendly project with the knowledge that there will be cost recovery and green planet benefits to be enjoyed in the years to come, with or without the fearful feds along for the ride.