Jun. 09, 2006 

Bruce Johnstone

Leader-Post

Friday, June 09, 2006

Saskatchewan still leads the world in CO2 capture and storage research, but other countries are catching up fast, says the head of a Regina-based alternative energy company."We have a head start in CO2 capture research,'' said Lionel Kambeitz, CEO of HTC Purenergy.

"We believe we are ahead here in Saskatchewan, but they're getting us in their sights.'' Kambeitz said Saskatchewan has the lead by dint of being home to the International Test Centre for CO2 Capture (ITC), located in the Greenhouse Gas Technology Centre at the University of Regina.

"The ITC is world-recognized for its CO2 capture and sequestration technology,'' Kambeitz said, citing ITC's ongoing studies of CO2 capture and storage at EnCana's $1-billion enhanced oil recovery project at Weyburn and SaskPower's Boundary Dam Power Station in Estevan.

"We have the Canadian solution here in Regina ... We want to ensure all of the Canadian skill and expertise continues to be consolidated here in Regina,'' Kambeitz said."There's also a danger of us moving this skill and technology out over many provinces in this country.''

That technology also needs to be commercialized and brought to the marketplace quickly, or it risks being lost to other parts of the world, he said."Other countries are rapidly catching up and expecting to surpass (us) with new, large-scale (CO2) capture projects,'' he said, citing major CO2 projects underway in Australia, the U.S., Europe and Japan."Certainly, the time has come for a rejuvenated and reorganized private, public and academic collaboration ... to consolidate this at the University of Regina and have Regina recognized as the climate change centre of excellence.'' To help Saskatchewan stay ahead, HTC Purenergy is funding a two-year, $500,000 "clean energy research chair'' at the University of Regina, which was first announced in 2004.

On Thursday, HTC Purenergy announced that Dr. Raphael Idem, an associate professor of engineering at the University of Regina, was the recipient of the clean energy research chair. Idem has a PhD in chemical engineering and has focused his research on energy and the environment.
Following the presentation, Idem said he was "pleased and humbled'' to receive the research chair on behalf of the "green team'' -- the team of CO2 and alternative energy researchers at the U of R. With the endowment, Idem said he will be free to concentrate on alternative energy and environmental research, while allowing his teaching position on the engineering faculty to be temporarily filled.

U of R president Robert Hawkins agreed the research chair "will help us with developing hydrogen (fuel) research and ... further our CO2 sequestration research." But Hawkins said that technology must be commercialized to bring real benefits to the industry, community and society at large."We are world leaders, but that advantage won't last forever unless we manage to get products onto the market ... quickly. Because others are in the field and they're ready to make the move.''

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2006

HTC Purenergy provides Carbon Management solutions to industry worldwide, from its head office in Regina, Saskatchewan. HTC is a public company, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Venture Exchange, trading as “HTC”. The latest corporate news is available on our website at www.htcenergy.com.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. does not take any responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the information contained in this news release.

For more information contact:

Jeff Allison,

HTC Purenergy

Telephone: (306) 352-6132

Fax: (306) 545-3262

E-mail: jallison@htcenergy.com

HTC Purenergy corporate developments can be followed on http://www.htcenergy.com/ and is traded under the symbol HTC