Alberta using the same standard as Sask for determining CCS

Mr. Knight answers the letter explaining Alberta using carbon Dioxide to recover oil from mature fields is the same as done in Weyburn Saskatchewan. Weyburn being run by Encana and they are developing the technology at depths of 1500 meters which is above the minimum requirements to keep the carbon dioxide critical (liquid).

Weyburn crude is actually thinned by the Carbon Dioxide making it easier to recover and process. The thinning is carbon dioxide absorbed into the oil, being returned to the surface.

It will be interesting to see if Mr. Knight is as forth coming when the testing is done as in how much of the carbon dioxide that is put down the hole is returned to the atmosphere dissolved in the oil.

Alberta's carbon cap and trade system is going to be for Alberta only, not trade outside the province. That means this Government can balance any number of books and ledgers with carbon credits. Along with payments in kind taken on royalty, it is turning into a system where Alberta will receive whatever the oil companies and the Conservatives feel is necessary to keep this province above destitution.

Alberta -- The Details - For Sale!

After a rash of rude suggestions I am prompted to tender this site for sale and with it comes the necessary agreements on my part.

Sales price is stricly cost recovery at Canadian $ 142,623.56

Albertans Entitled to lower Natural Gas Prices-Will they get it?

The Conservatives claim they want market pressure to rule the prices when they stand to make a profit. When it goes the other way, they tend to shy away under an umbrella of excuses in order to keep their profits. What will they do this time?

In Alberta, with the Conservatives in power it is always the Alberta Consumer who ends up paying the losses.

Exerts from the full article in Financial Post:
“ When Peter Tertzakian stands on a soapbox at the Calgary Petroleum Club -- as he did last week -- and warns senior Canadian oil executives to stop being in denial about natural-gas prices ever recovering to the levels they think they need to get back to work in Alberta, they tend to listen.
His message in the presentation: Low natural-gas prices are here to stay. Either you change or you will be out of business.”

Further, Mr. Tertzakian points out the Natural Gas Prices will not go above 5 or 6 dollars and never again reach the double digits that today’s residential prices are charged at.

Albertans have every right to expect a 50% reduction in their home and business heating bills!
If the reduction is not forthcoming, it is time to replace your elected officials both provincial and municipal!

Alberta Conservatives throw in the towel!

The Alberta Conservatives have been on something that can only be called a rampage over the past several years. Worshiping at the shrine of Conservative Doctrine they have reached out to privatize everything they can lay hands to.

With so much fresh information out there on their rip and burn programs they are thinking they cannot possibly be elected again so, get the job done now!

Our health system is pretty much privatized now, hospitals being owned by individuals and companies other than Government. Now, they are pushing Albertans into Insurance Heaven! Mazankowski must be rubbing his hands!

The Capital Health Authority at the request of the Government drew up a long list of services to be delisted from coverage under Alberta Health Care. Now, that list is being put in two or three items at a time putting pressure onto Albertans to reach for Blue Cross Coverage.

This was the desired response of the Government. Now, they are raising the Blue Cross premiums to better reflect what is being paid for in the private sector. This is blatant! There is no "private sector" health insurance in Alberta at this time and only US owned companies are in that business.

The billions poured into the Mazankowski heart centre to date to build and keep an empty building will come to fruit in the Conservative world. Makes sense now to turn it all over to still another insider for 1/100 th of the cost in the name of "private is a better way"

The Conservatives tell us the Canada Health Act is simply a Liberal tool to continue to beat up and control provinces indicating that Harper's crew will not pay any attention to it.

For you out there who did not think it was worth while to vote or that your vote would not make any difference; look now at the ugly face of conservatism.

Enter now the US dominated private health care insurance companies

There does not seem to be any laws in place to stop the pillage. The Auditor General has been told to butt out of their business and they take glee in standing in front of the cameras lying.

Time to take up arms my friends! Go get them!

Alberta Budget- Where the real losses are!

Using the Government surplus figures as a basis and, taking the exchange rates 2006-07 as nominal 10% and 2008-2009 as nominal 25%, I have developed the following alternate table.

I am using the BC Saskatchewan royalty rates of 30% for a low comparison.

These figures then represent the inside lowest possible royalty figures.

Past surpluses -Royalty % - Sask and BC royalty
2000-01 — $6.57 billion- at 25% US - 30% - Should have been 8.54 Loss 1.97 Billion
2001-02 — $1.08 billion - at 25% US - 30% - Should have been 1.40 Loss .32 Billion
2002-03 — $2.13 billion at 25% US - 30% - Should have been 2.56 Loss .43 Billion
2003-04 — $4.14 billion at 25% US - 30% - Should have been 4.97 Loss .83
2004-05 — $5.18 billion at 19% US - 30% - Should have been 8.18 Loss 3.0 Billion

2005-06 — $8.55 billion at 19% US - 30% - Should have been 13.5 Loss 4.95 Billion (10% Exchange)

2006-07 — $8.51 billion at 19% Canadian 30% - Should have been 14.29 Loss 5.78 Billion

2007-08 — $4.58 billion at 19% Canadian 30% - Should have been 8.15 Loss 3.57

Projected deficits
2009-10 — $4.7 billion at 19% Canadian dollar - Should be surplus of 3.9 Billion

2010-11 — $2.4 billion at 19% Canadian dollar - Should be surplus of 5.89

2011-12 — $1.8 billion - Should be surplus of 11.44

That is a total Loss of 20.02 billion dollars swept away on a Conservative platform. One that says there can be no extra cash in Government, it must go to the companies.
They call it being Great Conservatives. I call it gross fiscal mismanagement.
Albertans will have no change until they get this crew out of office!

Carbon Capture - What we are looking for.

A static source is essential for carbon capture. There presently is no such source available in the processes at the tar sands. In coal, cement and the other industries where a single source and high volume is available it is possible to create a burning platform that can be controlled.

How it works, generally:

The fuel is put into a special container to burn. The nitrogen is pulled off the air mix. The remainder in the container is heated to a high temperature and oxygen is injected. A burst flash is created. Because the "air " is off, nearly pure carbon dioxide is produced.

This is pumped off and stored to be put down pipelines etc. The heat generated in the process is used to make the steam to run the turbines etc. Consider; the priorities are actually reversed. Instead of making steam your process is making carbon dioxide and the steam is incidental to it.

Plants will have to be completely re built or new plants built. This isn't about picking stuff out of a smokestack and it is very expensive! And, we will pay.

Carbon Capture (CCS) Funding by Feds

Projects receiving federal funding:

Heartland Area Redwater Project — The Alberta Research Council and ARC Energy Trust, leading this Edmonton-area project, will try to demonstrate carbon capture and storage on a commercial scale of several million tonnes per year. (Good!)

Integrated Carbon Capture and Enhanced Oil Recovery (A subsidy-Oil Recovery from marginal depths)— Lead by Enhance Energy, the project northeast of Edmonton, involves the capture of CO2 emissions from industrial sites.

Fort Nelson Exploratory Project — (

Good - Deep enough) Spectra Energy Transmission hopes its existing gas processing plant in Fort Nelson, B.C. will be able to inject large volumes of sour gas more than two kilometres underground. (Deep enough; Good. 2 km=6500 feet; 2600 feet is the minimum)

Pioneer Project — Proposed for the Keephills thermal electric power generation plant, TransAlta hopes the plant will perform several functions including capture of chilled ammonia, which could then be used in enhanced oil recovery and stored in saline aquifers.
Belle Plaine Integrated Polygeneration CCS Project — TransCanada's plan involves building a $5-billion electricity power plant in Belle Plaine, Sask. (Excellent! This is where it is at!)  At the time of this edit, Trans Canada has withdrawn their plan to build the plant leaving only  the projects in place to scarf oil and return the CO2 to the surface.

CO2 Injection in Heavy Oil Reservoirs (All are subsidies-Heavy Oil Recovery is not Carbon Sequestration! What they put down hole will come back up.) — Husky Energy Inc., at its oil upgrader and ethanol plant in Lloydminster, Sask., wants to develop new methods for enhanced heavy oil recovery.

Alberta Saline Aquifer Project/Genesee Post-(Excellent - This is what they should all look like!) Combustion Demonstration Plant — EPCOR's Genesee project involves a demonstration facility that would capture CO2 from a coal-fired power plant in Alberta, and transport it to the Saline Aquifer Project for storage.