CALGARY, ALBERTA–(Marketwired – Aug. 4, 2015) – Recognizing industry leadership and excellence, the Coal Association of Canada (CAC) has chosen David Fawcett as the recipient of its 2015 CAC Award of Distinction, and has selected SaskPower’s Boundary Dam CCS Project for a Special Recognition Award.
The CAC Award of Distinction recognizes an outstanding leader in Canada’s coal industry, an individual who have left a lasting legacy on our industry.
This year’s recipient, David Fawcett, is a graduate of the University of Alberta’s School of Mining Engineering and has worked in Canadian coal industry for 40 years. During his career, Mr. Fawcett held a broad range of responsibilities, from early stage geology and exploration, regulatory and permitting, to operations, management and executive positions for several major, intermediate and start-up companies.
In the past 20 years, Mr. Fawcett has played a key role in the coal industry in northeast British Columbia, with coal property acquisition and early stage development for coal mining companies and projects including: Globaltex Industries (Willow Creek mine), Western Coal (Belcourt, Wolverine and Burnt River/Brule mines), NEMI Northern Energy and Mining (Trend mine), and Hillsborough Resources (Wapiti/Echo Hill and Horizon projects).
“Mr. Fawcett is widely acknowledged for his visionary leadership in reviving the coal industry in northeast British Columbia,” said Ann Marie Hann, President of the Coal Association of Canada. “His efforts put the region on the global coal map. His involvement in so many projects have left a strong legacy for the future of the region and province.”
Mr. Fawcett previously received the Coal Award from the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (2011) and the E. A. Scholz Award for Excellence in Mine Development from the Association for Mineral Exploration of British Columbia (2012). He will receive the CAC Award of Distinction on September 17, during the Coal Association of Canada’s Conference Banquet at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver.
On September 17, the Coal Association of Canada will also honour SaskPower with a Special Recognition Award for environmental and innovation achievement related to its Boundary Dam Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project.
The project, the first of its kind in the world, involves the integration of a rebuilt coal-fired generation unit at SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan, Saskatchewan with carbon capture technology, resulting in low-emission power generation. The project will realize a number of environmental benefits, among them reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by up to one million tonnes of carbon dioxide, or 90% of emissions, the equivalent to taking over 250,000 cars off roads annually.
“With its Boundary Dam Project, SaskPower is proving that CCS technology provides a real pathway to low emissions from coal. SaskPower is a world leader in this technology, demonstrating that coal can continue to be a responsible energy alternative in Canada and around the world.”
To nominate a coal industry leader for 2016, visit the Coal Association of Canada’s Award of Distinction web page.