Canadian Clean Power Coalition: Canadian Clean Coal Effort Attracts International Investment.

Business Editors

CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 2002

The Canadian Clean Power Coalition (CCPC) announced today the full participation of EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) and the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Greenhouse Gas R & D and Clean Coal Centre Programmes in the feasibility study phase for the planned development and construction of Canada's first "clean coal" power plant.

EPRI, based in Palo Alto, California, will contribute Cdn $238,000 (US$155,000) over three years to the CCPC. The IEA Greenhouse Gas and Clean Coal Programmes based in London and Cheltenham, England, have also committed Cdn $238,000. The total investment by member companies and organizations, together with government agencies, is reaching Cdn $5 million (US$3.5 million) for the feasibility study phase of the project. The long-term goal of the CCPC is to develop and commercialize new technology that will virtually eliminate air emissions of concern, including carbon dioxide, from coal burning power plants.

"Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and disposal has the potential to be one of the most powerful levers for reducing the net flow of CO2 into the atmosphere," said Stuart Dalton, EPRI's product line director for fossil and emission control. "We support the CCPC program because it will demonstrate the clean use of coal and lead to a greater global understanding of the costs, technology requirements, and issues involved in using CO2 control technology."

"We are very pleased to be involved with this project, which will make a major contribution to the demonstration of technologies to almost eliminate emissions from coal-based power stations," says John Topper on behalf of the IEA collaborative agreements.

"We are encouraged that our initiative continues to attract international attention," says Jim Dinning, CCPC chairperson. "The EPRI and IEA collaborative agreements' investment in the CCPC Project will allow us to continue our research and development of clean coal technology in Canada."

The first phase of the project will be completed in 2003. This phase involves detailed research and conceptual engineering studies leading to the selection of the technology to be used. By 2007, the CCPC plans to retrofit an existing coal-fueled power plant, and operate it as a full-scale demonstration facility to test the technical, environmental and economic viability of new clean coal technology. Phase 1 work is also expected to result in a new, or "greenfield" plant, being designed, built and in operation by 2010 to serve as the prototype for future plant construction.

EPRI headquartered in Palo Alto, California, was established in 1973 as a non-profit centre for public interest energy and environmental research. EPRI's collaborative science and technology development program now spans nearly every area of power generation, delivery and use. More than 1,000 energy organizations and public institutions in 40 countries draw on EPRI's global network of technical and business expertise.

The IEA Greenhouse Gas R & D Programme (IEA GHG) investigates technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from use of fossil fuels. IEA GHG's main work is: evaluation of technologies for abatement of greenhouse gases under standard conditions, to enable comparison between different options, dissemination of results of these evaluations and facilitation of practical research, development and demonstration.

The IEA Clean Coal Centre gathers, assesses and distributes knowledge on the energy efficient and environmentally sustainable use of coal. It is the world's foremost provider of information on clean coal supply and use.

The Programmes are international collaborative activities established under the terms of Implementing Agreements from the International Energy Agency (IEA). This arrangement enables member countries to gain access to a substantial body of knowledge at a low cost. Sixteen countries, the European Commission and nine industrial sponsors currently support the Greenhouse Gas Programme and twelve countries and the EC support the Clean Coal Centre.

The CCPC's seven participating companies represent over 90 per cent of Canada's coal-fired electricity capacity. CCPC members include ATCO Power, EPCOR, Luscar, Nova Scotia Power, Ontario Power Generation, SaskPower and TransAlta. The CCPC is also funded through the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI), Government of Alberta, and the Department of Industry and Resources, Government of Saskatchewan; and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), government of Canada.

The Canadian Clean Power Coalition is an association of responsible, leading Canadian coal and coal-fired electricity producers. Our aim is to develop clean coal electricity generation technology that will be an important element in a multi-fuelled, affordable and reliable energy supply for Canadians.