SaskPower continues to be the occupant of the carbon capture test facility (CCTF) at the Shand Power Station.
The test facility opened to much fanfare in June 2015, as it was one of only three such facilities in the world at the time. Companies were invited to come to the facility to work on their carbon capture technologies for an extended period of time.聽
A couple of companies have occupied the test facility since it opened, and when nobody is in there, SaskPower gets to work on their technologies.
In an email to the Mercury, Joel Cherry, a media relations and issues management consultant with SaskPower, said the Crown corporation has been using the facility for testing to make improvements for carbon capture and storage (CCS) since 2018, and plans to continue the current work through at least mid-2021.
鈥淲e are working to understand the root causes of, and find solutions to, amine degradation issues with CCS technology at the test facility,鈥� Cherry said.
Specifics of the research and results are commercially sensitive, and so cannot be shared, he said.
There have been only very minor modifications to the facility since it opened.
The CCTF facility would be available for a perspective tenant following completion of the current work, though they do not have any lined up. The International CCS Knowledge Centre in Regina is still actively pursuing a new client for the building.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for tours to occur, whereas previously SaskPower had potential clients from around the world visit the facility.
