Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr fascinated by potential of Estevan, Sask. carbon capture plant

The Trudeau Liberals promised to take action on climate change and invest in green technologies, and that commitment brought federal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr to the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Facility just south of Estevan, Sask.

“The government of Canada is very interested in helping the development and it’s very timely,” Carr said after touring the facility.

He called the facility fascinating and added it can play an important role in the pan-Canadian climate change mitigation framework being drawn up by Prime Minister Trudeau and the country’s premiers.

The CCS Facility at Boundary Dam Three has well documented performance issues, which caused SaskPower to reduce carbon capture goals. Originally the company said it would capture one million tonnes annually. This year, that target was reduced to 800,000 tonnes — a number SaskPower is on target to meet.

Despite the hiccups, Carr believes in what the Crown corporation is trying to accomplish.

“My thoughts about those who say it’s good, but not good enough, so stop doing it…. No,” he said.

“What you do is you try to make it better, and that’s exactly what they’re doing here and what we’re encouraging these technologies to focus on.”

SaskPower’s CEO , Mike Marsh, shared Carr’s futurist vision. He pointed to a study from the International Energy Agency for the potential of the technology globally.

“In order to meet the greenhouse gas emission targets by 2050, it’s going to require technology like this and it’s going to require improvements in the next generation and the generation after that,” he explained.

The CCS Facility is a much-called-upon example of the Wall government in pointing out what Saskatchewan is doing to reach climate goals. However, the premier has repeatedly made public his strong opposition to the Liberal-promised carbon tax.

Saskatchewan’s Environment Minister, Herb Cox, said he hopes tours like this can help the federal government see Saskatchewan’s point of view.

“This is a form of an implicit carbon tax,” Cox said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is a form of an implicit carbon tax," Cox said.

“The cost of this plant has to be paid for and some of that cost is going to be passed on. So in a way it’s an implicit tax and we want to have that recognized.”

In addition to carbon tax, Cox said he and Carr would be discussing potential federal investment in further CCS infrastructure investment.