Author: Bill Corbett
A key environmental challenge for oil sands operators is to substantially reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon Management Canada is an independent not-for-profit dedicated to helping clients locate and develop technologies to reduce industrial-scale greenhouse gases.
So it made perfect sense for CMC to become an Associate Member of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA). The alliance comprises 13 oil sands producers seeking to accelerate improvement in environmental performance through collaborative action and innovation. COSIA is supported by 39 Associate Members ranging from government agencies and universities to multinational firms.
“CMC has a network of researchers across the world who specialize in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” says Pej Ghanipour, head of COSIA’s Associate Member Program. “That’s a great resource for us to have in finding solutions to the challenges we face.”
One potential benefit to COSIA could be access to facilities at CMC’s Field Research Station located near Brooks, AB. When complete in mid-2015, this facility will house infrastructure that clients can use to test emerging measurement, monitoring and verification (MMV) technologies. The on-sight infrastructure can be applied to the development of MMV technologies to monitor stored carbon as well as other liquids in the subsurface.
“Our role, as a non-advocacy organization, is to provide COSIA with the right information to make the best decisions,” says Jeff Reading, CMC’s Business Development Director. “We can also connect them with researchers and offer solutions from outside their normal world.”
Bill Corbett is a Calgary-based journalist who writes about energy and carbon reductions.