Energy and Resources Minister Bill Boyd is on 12-day mineral and energy investment mission to China and Japan.
Boyd and a small delegation will be in Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo January 16 to 28 to promote investment opportunities in Saskatchewan mineral exploration, oil and oil sands projects, as well as investigate potential areas of collaboration on value-added energy research.
The delegation will meet Asian companies that have investments in the province, promote Saskatchewan resources to potential investors, and have discussions with government agencies around existing exports to Asia such as potash and canola. The minister will also meet with representatives of the New West Partnership and the new Shanghai trade office which Saskatchewan shares with Alberta and British Columbia.
"While Saskatchewan has been front and centre lately with the international investment community, Asian investors have long recognized the exciting resource opportunities that exist in our province," Boyd said. "We have actively promoted our resources in Asia over the past five years, and it's fair to say those efforts have had a major influence on the decisions of Asian investors that are new to our province to allocate roughly $200 million toward Saskatchewan mineral projects."
Among the companies and agencies the delegation will meet with in Shanghai and Beijing are China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Sinochem, Sinofert, Shanghai Electric, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), and China's National Energy Administration (NEA).
In Tokyo the delegation will meet with the Japan Coal Energy Center (JCOAL), Idemitsu, Tokyo Electric Power Corporation (TEPCO), Japan Canada Uranium (JCU) and Overseas Uranium Resources Development Co. Ltd. (OURD).
"Saskatchewan's new national and international marketing has a theme of 'real growth, real opportunity'," Boyd said. "And the growth and opportunity that exist in our province are certainly what we'll be exploring with the investors we'll be meeting with in China and Japan."
Boyd will be accompanied on the mission by three officials from Energy and Resources, Intergovernmental Affairs and Enterprise Saskatchewan. Executives from Cameco, Canpotex and Oil Sands Quest will join the delegation for portions of the mission.
