MOOSE JAW — Construction of the Belle Plaine Carbon Hub (BPCH) managed by Whitecap Resources Inc. is well underway and the company held a public open house to share information about the proposed carbon hub at the Pense Town Hall recently.
“The most exciting aspect of the BPCH is its potential to help companies and industries achieve their emissions reductions goals, while continuing to position Saskatchewan as a leader in Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS),” the company wrote via email.
The BPCH is a large-scale infrastructure project designed to permanently sequester CO2 from industrial emitters in the region including Regina, Moose Jaw, and Belle Plaine. Once sequestered, the CO2 will be transported by pipeline and safely injected deep underground into saline aquifers for permanent storage, the company email explained.
The project also aligns with the CCUS credit standard outlined in Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan proposed by the provincial government.
Once completed, the new carbon hub has regulatory approval to store 23 million tonnes of CO2 in the facility.
Construction on the BPCH began in 2022 and is expected to be operational as early as Q4 2025 or by Q1 2026. There is no single facility and emissions will be captured at their source.
“Whitecap will not be executing nor building carbon capture facilities as these facilities will be constructed by companies at the source(s) of their emissions,” the statement explained.
Once captured, Whitecap will be responsible for transporting the CO2 via pipeline to injection well locations where these greenhouse gases will be injected over two kilometres underground “for permanent and safe storage.”
“Whitecap has used geological information, seismic survey data, and dynamic reservoir modelling to confirm the suitability of the BPCH for permanent CO2 sequestration, and will use this technology to confirm the BPCH is performing as expected once operational,” the company said.
“Whitecap has applied our extensive CO2 pipeline and facility operational experience to the design and technology selection of the BPCH facilities and injection wells.”
To ensure environmental safety for the project, the company plans “to meet or exceed” all regulatory requirements. “Whitecap has incorporated several layers of technology into the design of the BPCH… including real-time monitoring and 24-hour operations support to ensure the environmental and public safety of the project.”
Whitecap will also use Measuring, Monitoring, and Verification (MMV) technologies “leveraging our knowledge acquired through 24 years of monitoring experience at the Weyburn Unit” to ensure safe and efficient performance.
Once the new carbon hub has been completed, Whitecap representatives said they expect to see several new jobs created in the region with near-term jobs available as the pipeline construction and CO2 injection well drilling process begins.
“Over the long term, and as CCUS continues to grow in Saskatchewan, Whitecap expects there will be opportunities for job creation throughout the entire value chain, which includes capture, compression, transportation, and sequestration,” the company said.
The project will also contribute to the local tax base for the RM of Pense and RM of Redburn and industrial emitters will benefit from reduced penalties and taxation that they would otherwise pay for their emissions. Whitecap will itself generate revenue through a fee for service model for its transportation and sequestration services.
Whitecap Resources is a Calgary-based energy company focused on the development of oil and gas production in western Canada. The company employs more than 800 Canadians, provides ongoing support to numerous children’s health, education, and wellness initiatives, maintains a Truth & Reconciliation Education Scholarship Fund, and is closely partnered with First Nations groups in the Edmonton area.
Whitecap’s New Energy Team was founded in 2021 with the goal of focusing on carbon sequestration. Whitecap is also the majority owner and operator of the Weyburn Unit CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery Project which has been in operation since 2000.
The company will be able to accommodate future growth at the BPCH but currently does not have government approval for any additional hubs in the province.
To learn more about Whitecap Resources Inc., the company behind the proposed carbon hub, visit WCAP.ca.
