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Released: 25 June, 2003

Government Of Canada Signs International Carbon Sequestration Agreement

WASHINGTON — Canada today joined a group of countries and the European Commission in cooperating in the development and deployment of carbon sequestration and related technologies. The Honourable Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Natural Resources Canada, signed the Charter for the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) while attending the first meeting of this initiative, which is led by the United States. Other signatories include Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia and the United Kingdom.

Carbon sequestration involves capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂), a major greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to climate change, and storing it in geological formations underground. This process has other associated benefits. For example, when CO₂ is injected into an oil field, more oil can be recovered and the life of the oil field extended.

“To reach our climate change goals, we will have to make use of all possibilities, and CO₂ capture and storage is an important option,” said Minister Dhaliwal. “Developing leading-edge technologies like CO₂ capture and storage has tremendous potential to reduce GHG emissions and bring new economic opportunities. This will also help us maintain the sustainable development of our large fossil-fuel resource base.”

Canada is a world leader in carbon sequestration research and technologies, and the Government of Canada has already made significant investments in this area. The world’s largest sequestration research project is operated by Encana, in the Weyburn oil field in Saskatchewan. The Government of Canada is actively engaged with other partners, including the governments of Alberta and Saskatchewan, the United States and the European Commission, in a project to monitor and assess the feasibility of this technology to use CO₂ enhanced oil recovery to extend the life of the oil field. Over the 25-year life of the project, 14 million tonnes of CO₂ could be stored — the equivalent of a year’s worth of emissions from 3.2 million vehicles.

Canada is also developing technology that will inject CO₂ into deep coal beds and improve coal-bed methane recovery. Additionally, preparatory work and analysis of other CO₂ storage and capture opportunities, and the potential sequestration of CO₂ in oil sands projects, are underway.

“Our country has been at the forefront of CO₂ capture and storage for many years,” said Minister Dhaliwal. “But climate change doesn’t respect geographical boundaries. Through this important forum, we want to share our knowledge and expertise while learning from the experience of other countries.”

The United States launched the CSLF to establish an ongoing mechanism to pursue international collaboration in the area of carbon capture and storage. Cooperation in the CSLF is expected to take the form of data gathering, information exchange and joint projects. It will cover both technological issues and related policy questions, such as safety and economic viability.

Canada’s participation will help market Canadian technologies and further establish Canada’s leadership in carbon sequestration, boosting international awareness of Canadian projects, developments and initiatives.

This initiative advances the Government of Canada’s commitment to the sustainable development of our natural resources — contributing to their economic importance and to a strong society and communities through knowledge, innovation, technology and international leadership. By integrating our economic, social and environmental goals, we can ensure our quality of life and build the Canada we want, for ourselves and for future generations.

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