Regina Co-op refinery complex plans to turn waste waster into power

REGINA – The Co-op refinery complex in Regina is moving toward a more environmentally friendly way of working, with a waste-water improvement project.

The $200-million project will clean 100 per cent of the water the refinery uses, then convert it to steam to heat the refinery, create power, and to produce hydrogen.

Scott Banda, CEO of Federated Co-operatives Ltd., says the biggest incentive to starting the project was sustainability.

He says water is critical to the operation of the refinery, adding the monetary incentives are negligible.

Officials says the project will reduce the smell that can sometimes come off the wastewater ponds, and will reduce its reliance on freshwater by 28 per cent.

In 2013, the refinery finished an expansion that increase the amount of oil which could be processed, while at the same time increasing the amount of water the refinery needed.