MEMBERS OF U.S. CONGRESS TO LEARN ABOUT SASKATCHEWAN CLEAN ENERGY INITIATIVES

Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be in Saskatchewan on Monday to see firsthand some of the groundbreaking research on carbon capture and storage occurring in this province.

Chairman Rick Boucher (D-Virginia), House Energy & Air Quality Sub-Committee; and, Representative Tim Mahoney (D-Florida) will visit the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) in Regina and the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas Weyburn-Midale Carbon Dioxide Monitoring and Storage Project near Weyburn.

While at the PTRC, the members of Congress will observe presentations on:

• Saskatchewan's strategic approach to carbon capture and storage;
• SaskPower's Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture/Sequestration Demonstration Project;
• The International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas Weyburn-Midale Carbon Dioxide Monitoring and Storage Project; and,
• The International Test Centre for Carbon Dioxide Capture (followed by a tour of the International Test Centre).

Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd, who is also the Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, will join the Weyburn portion of the tour along with top executives from EnCana.

"Saskatchewan is a world leader in the field of carbon capture and sequestration, and this visit provides the opportunity to show these influential elected officials what our province has to offer the world in climate change initiatives that also support energy production," Boyd said. "The provincial government welcomes increased energy trade and welcomes U.S. interest in Saskatchewan's energy sector."

The delegation's time in the Weyburn area will include a meeting with top EnCana executives from Calgary and tour of EnCana's Weyburn carbon sequestration and related enhanced oil recovery project.

EnCana began working with the International Energy Agency before the CO2 was injected into the ground. Agency scientists first studied the reservoir to establish baseline knowledge in order to monitor and understand reservoir changes as CO2 was injected over the life of the project.

"This project provides a win-win for business and the environment," EnCana Executive Vice-President of Canadian Plains Don Swystun said. "EnCana is able to enhance oil recovery and eliminate CO2 from the air at the same time. We expect to store 30 million tonnes of CO2, which is equal to taking nearly 7 million cars off the road for a year."

During his March visit to Washington, D.C., Premier Brad Wall invited Chairman Boucher to lead a delegation to Saskatchewan and learn more about the province's energy research centre initiatives. Following their visit to Saskatchewan, the American delegation will travel to Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The visit was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

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For more information, contact:

Jeff Welke
Intergovernmental Affairs
Regina
Phone: 306-787-6156
Cell: 306-536-1185

Alan Boras
EnCana
Calgary
Phone: 403-645-4747