A delegation from the Canadian province Saskatchewan visited the Netherlands on 5 and 6 March. The Canadian delegation was headed by the Honorable Rob Norris (Minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration) and included Dr. Malcolm Wilson (CEO of the Regina-based Petroleum Technology Research Centre), Mr. Mike Monea (President of Carbon Capture and Storage Initiatives with SaskPower) and Mr. Jerome Konecsni (CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan). March 6^th saw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between CATO-2, the University of Utrecht, the PTRC and University of Regina at the head offices of TNO (the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) in Delft. 

The agreement covers a wide variety of potential collaborations related to CCS, from exchange of graduate students and researchers, to sharing of research results and collaborative projects. "Linking the PTRC's world-class research into carbon storage and enhanced oil recovery with two organizations in Europe that offer potential solutions to major challenges in Saskatchewan in particular is a win-win situation for both Canadian and Dutch researchers," noted Dr. Wilson, "and of course the PTRC has a wealth of knowledge to share with our colleagues in Europe about the successful implementation of CCS projects."

Dr. Jan Brouwer of CATO-2 concurred. "Whereas climate skepticism seems to be the buzz-word nowadays, it is good to see that some countries take their responsibility and invest in technology development that will help us in the transition to a clean and sustainable society. I welcome the cooperation between PTRC and CATO and trust that the formalization of such cooperation through signing a memorandum of understanding will encourage interaction of, and be beneficial to, R&D communities in both countries."