The International CCS Knowledge Centre is pleased to welcome two new members to its board of directors, bringing valuable new experience in strategy, governance and sustainability to advance the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS/CCUS) around the world.

Calgary-based energy executive Caralyn Bennett and Randy Brunet, a partner with Western Canadian-based law firm MLT Aikins LLP, recently joined the Knowledge Centre’s volunteer board, which includes seven members who bring diverse international perspectives and provide strategic guidance and oversight of the organization.

“The addition of Caralyn and Randy, along with the appointment of James Fann as president and chief executive officer earlier this year, ensures the Knowledge Centre is well positioned to be a leading source of independent, trusted advice and unparalleled expertise to help industry, governments and other decision-makers accelerate the deployment of CCS technology,” says Graham Winkelman, chair of the Knowledge Centre’s board of directors. “We are excited to have such respected experts as part of our team, and I look forward to working with Randy, Caralyn and the rest of the board as we support CCS projects and the broader industry to move forward in the coming years.”

“The CCS industry is evolving quickly, and our goal is to ensure the Knowledge Centre is the most sought-after curator of information and lessons learned from CCS projects globally. The foundation of our expertise is our team’s hands-on involvement in the world’s first fully integrated CCS project on a commercial power plant, and we continue to expand our experience as we work with clients across heavy-emitting industries including cement, steel, fertilizer, power generation, forestry, and oil and gas production,” said the Knowledge Centre’s President and CEO James Fann. “I would like to welcome Randy and Caralyn to our board. Their deep experience and acumen will be invaluable for realizing our plans to diversify our revenue base and enhance our offerings across the spectrum of technical, policy, regulatory and stakeholder engagement support for CCS projects.”

The International CCS Knowledge Centre is a non-profit organization founded in 2016 by BHP and SaskPower to advance large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects as a critical means of managing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving the world’s ambitious climate goals.

Knowledge Centre staff were instrumental in the design, construction, start-up and ongoing optimization of SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Unit 3 (BD3) CCS facility that began operation in 2014 and has captured more than 5.5 million tonnes of CO₂ . By leveraging the experience and lessons learned from BD3 and other CCS projects, we are supporting a wide range of clients and projects including the world’s first full-scale CCS facility at a cement plant that is currently under development at Heidelberg Materials’ Edmonton operation, 11 large-scale CCS/CCUS projects that are receiving funding from Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Carbon Capture Kickstart competition, and several CCS projects in the power generation and refinery sectors in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Knowledge Centre is developing a first-of-a-kind knowledge sharing initiative for CCS/CCUS projects, with foundational funding provided by the Government of Alberta, has produced a comprehensive guidebook to CCUS projects for members of the Global Cement and Concrete Association, and also provides frequent independent analysis and input on CCS-related policies, incentives and regulations in North America and abroad.

Learn more about our services and expertise here.

Background on new board members

Caralyn Bennett is a professional engineer who serves as president of the Canadian Heavy Oil Association, an organization dedicated to building community and creating opportunities that will spark the shifts and drive the advances necessary to differentiate the Canadian barrel as the global barrel of choice.  She also sits on the board of directors of two publicly traded companies, Acceleware Ltd. and Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd., and one private oil and gas producer. Prior to her retirement in 2023, Bennett was Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of GLJ Ltd., a Canadian energy consulting firm. She has over 30 years of energy industry experience in resource governance, business strategy, subsurface risk and uncertainty, emerging technology, and energy decarbonization and transition. 

Randy Brunet is a partner with MLT Aikins LLP and a key member of the firm’s Innovation, Data and Technology practice group.  Randy’s practice is focused on innovation and technology projects as well as privacy and cybersecurity.  Randy has extensive experience with CO₂ capture, transportation, utilization and storage projects.  He was a key participant in the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC)’s Weyburn/Midale enhanced oil recovery and Aquistore CO₂ storage research projects, and is the chair of the PTRC’s board of directors.  He has advised on many CCUS projects and has presented at numerous CCUS conferences and webinars.

Learn more about the Knowledge Centre’s leadership and team members here.