From the editor.(Editorial)

It was on a recent trip to Regina where it dawned upon me that the Queen City may want to consider changing its nickname to the Green City. And no, I'm not suggesting we change it in honour of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, although that makes for a nice double-entendre (GO RIDERS!). Rather, the green inference stems from the heightened awareness and expertise regarding environmental matters in our provincial capital.

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Given that this issue is our Green Issue, there are several stories appearing on that very topic. But I'd like to bring attention to a couple of green initiatives that are not highlighted elsewhere on these pages. These initiatives came to light while at a pair of stops at Innovation Place located next to the University of Regina campus.

The Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) is launching something known as the Aquistore Project, which is a huge undertaking (a $100-million, five-year project). Essentially this project entails taking [CO.sub.2] emissions from a large-scale emitter--in this case, the CCRL Refinery--transporting it via pipeline to an injection site and storing it two kilometres underground in a deep saline formation. Now, it's a whole lot more complicated than this, and clearly beyond my capacity to understand, so I'm relaying it to you in similar fashion. Suffice it to say, however, the project has significant potential to reduce the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It's estimated the Aquistore Project will initially capture approximately 600 tonnes of [CO.sub.2] daily, and this amount could go up as the project progresses.

Nearby, the University of Regina's International Test Centre for [CO.sub.2] Capture (ITC)--and more recently, the International Performance Assessment Centre for Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide (IPAC-[CO.sub.2])--has developed quite a reputation in the area of CCS (carbon capture and storage) technology. And by quite a reputation, I mean that it has positioned itself and, by extension, Saskatchewan, as a global leader in CCS technology development. That's right. The Saudi's have their oil, the Japanese have their technology, the Chinese have their manufacturing, and Canada (ie: Regina, Saskatchewan) has CCS technology.

In fact the U of R's Dr. Malcolm Wilson, participated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change team of scientists who were awarded a Nobel Prize for their efforts in this field along with Al Gore. As team leader at the Office of Energy and Environment, which oversees both the ITC and IPAC-[CO.sub.2], Wilson is world-renowned in his field, and as such, the guest book at the ITC reads like a who's who of the United Nations.

Among the commercial benefits CCS technology can provide is in the area of enhanced oil recovery, as is now being done in the Weyburn oil field by EnCana. An even greater potential for commercialization and climate change mitigation, however, comes from the actual storage of the [CO.sub.2]. With the reduction of [CO.sub.2] emissions high on the list of governments around the world (which now includes the United States), CCS technology is at the fore. The ITC, with its multi-purpose pilot plant on campus and its [CO.sub.2] capture pilot plant at the Boundary Dam at Estevan, is proving that coal-fired power plants can indeed be part of a greenhouse gas reduction strategy.

The IPAC-[CO.sub.2] meanwhile is helping to develop a full understanding of how [CO.sub.2] performs when stored in deep geological formations. It can then share this understanding with the world as [CO.sub.2] storage becomes more prevalent. Developing these systems, processes and technologies is expensive, so others will be far better off to come to the world leader for their knowledge and expertise.

In short, the future is bright, the opportunity is truly mind-boggling and best of all, it's happening right here, right now, in the Green City: Regina, Saskatchewan.

Keith Moen, Editor

editor@sunrisepublish.com

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