The Petroleum Technology Research Center (PTRC), manager of the Aquistore CO2 storage project in Saskatchewan, signed a letter of understanding (LOU) with the University of Alberta, which will use data from the project to aid in carbon capture utilization and storage research and capacity-building in Mexico. “The site characterization, modelling, geomechanical and geophysical research undertaken at Aquistore will be a valuable resource for Mexican research projects and planned CCUS deployment,” PTRC CEO Ken From said in a recent press release.
The University of Alberta has received $16 million (CAN) in research funding from SENER (Secretaria de Energia de Mexico) to help the country “improve and expand” its hydrocarbon sector. “We are developing a five year work plan centred on hydrocarbon-related joint research,” said geotechnical engineering professor Rick Chalaturnyk, of the University of Alberta, “to assist Mexico in developing and training scientists and other specialists – including graduate students – in the areas of carbon capture, utilization and storage and hydrocarbon development.”
Supplied in part by the SaskPower Boundary Dam Unit 3 carbon capture and storage project, Aquistore has injected more than 65,000 metric tons of CO2 into a deep saline geologic formation since launching less than two years ago.
