Q. What is IPAC-CO2?

A. IPAC-CO2 Research Inc. is an environmental, non-government organization (ENGO) created to fill a gap in the understanding and assessment of risk and performance in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) industry.

IPAC-CO2 builds on almost 20 years of experience in CCS research. science and technology at the University of Regina. The organization recieved $10 million in seed money from the Government of Saskatchewan and Royal Dutch Shell. After its initial startup, the federal government of Canada also provided $4.5 million in project-specific funding through the Western Economic Development Agreement (WEPA) administered by Western Diversification (WD).

What does the acronym IPAC-CO2 mean?

A. The International Performance Assessment Centre for the Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide.

What does IPAC-CO2 do?

A. IPAC-CO2 provides independent research to help governments develop the policies and regulations required for the large-scale deployment of CCS. 

IPAC-CO2 also helps industry clients to assess the feasibility of CCS projects and informs the pubic about the viability of the geologic storage of carbon dioide as a way of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. IPAC-CO2 provides independent verification that geologic storage projects are undertaken in a safe and effective manner.

Q. What is Carbon Capture and Storage?

A. Carbon Capture and Storage (or CCS) is the process of capturing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and storing it deep in the Earth's subsurface.

The carbon dioxide (CO₂) is captured from a large source of emissions, such as a fossil-fuel burning power plant or a cement plant. Then, the CO₂ is transported, either by pipeline, truck, or ship, to a storage facility or an Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) project site, and is then safely injected into the ground where it is stored.

Q. Why is CCS important?

A. CCS is an important technological tool that can help prevent large amounts of greenhouse gases created each day from reaching the atmosphere by depositing and storing large volumes of CO₂ safely underground. Currently, we (the world) are emitting approximately 30 billon tonnes of CO₂ annually.

Q. How effective of a tool is CCS for addressing climate change on a global scale?

A. Scientists estimate that applying a CCS strategy can account for 19 per cent--or almost one in every five metric tonnes--of greenhouse gas emissions that are targeted to be eliminated by the year 2050.

What is Carbon Commons?

A. Carbon Commons is a web portal designed to encourage collboration and innovation relating to responsible management of carbon in the fossil energy sector.

Carbon Commons provides a common, shared site in which the industrial and academic communities can recognize and develop common practices, share data and applications, and create new solutions to global carbon emissions and storage problems.

Carbon Commons was developed by IPAC-CO2 in collaboration with Carbon Management Canada (CMC-NCE).

Q. Who were the founding or anchor partners in IPAC-CO2?

A. Royal Dutch Shell and the Government of Saskatchewan contributed founding investments of $5 million each to support IPAC-CO2’s activities over a five-year period. The Government of Canada, through Western Economic Diversification, provided a $4 million in funding for IPAC-CO2.  The University of Regina has provided significant gift-in-kind and administrative support.

For more information on IPAC-CO2's founding or anchor partners, please visit the Founding Members page.

Q. What is the $4 million from the Government of Canada being used to do?

A. IPAC-CO2 is using the federal funding to purchase sophisticated analytic equipment to better understand what is happening to CO2 in the subsurface and to provide better data on storage sites. IPAC-CO2 has created a Community of Practice to work with researchers, industry and regulators around the world. IPAC-CO2 is conducting modeling of carbon capture systems, and is working with the Canadian Standards Association and the International Standards Organization to develop the first national and international standards for geological storage.

Q. Does IPAC-CO2 earn a profit?

A. No. IPAC-CO2 has been federally incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. However, IPAC-CO2 offers it services to clients on a fee-for-service basis.

Q. Where is IPAC-CO2 located?

A. The secretariat staff offices are located at the University of Regina, at 2 Research Drive. Much of IPAC-CO2's research will be done collaboratively through the Community of Practice, which is located around the world and connected through a secure web site (www.ipac-co2.org).

Q. If Shell was one of the founding members of IPAC-CO2, how can the centre be an independent organization?

A. IPAC-CO2 is designed to be an objective body, able to independently advise regulators and policy makers, and help educate communities with CCS projects. The assessments performed by the centre are based on work undertaken by teams of independent researchers and subject to third-party validation as appropriate. There will also be appropriate segregation between funding, governance, management and the research.

Q. What does a project in the southeastern Saskatchewan oil patch near Weyburn have to do with Carbon Capture and Storage?

A. The International Energy Agency Weyburn-Midale Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) CO₂ Project is the world’s first CO2 measuring, monitoring and verification initiative. Launched in 2000, this $80-million international project studies CO₂ injection and storage underground in depleted oil fields. The goal of the project’s Final Phase (2005-2011) is to deliver the framework necessary to encourage implementation of CO₂ geological storage on a worldwide basis. IPAC-CO2 builds on the experience gained in Saskatchewan from this important project.

Q. Does IPAC-CO2 have partnerships with any other organizations?

A. IPAC-CO2 has established partnerships with research organizations in seven countries on six continents. In addition to work at the University of Regina, partnerships have been established with groups in Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the United States, and Australia, as well as other Canadian universities.

Q. How can companies, non-government organizations, governments or research institutions become part of IPAC-CO2?

A. For more information, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it