Check out the fall 2019 report to find out the latest information on the projects and related activities in the oil and gas sector in alberta, government initiatives associated with this sector, labour issues, new technologies and interesting facts and figures. A comprehensive guide to the alberta oil sands may 2011. Oil sands production in alberta has rapidly expanded over the past decade, with growing concern about a range of environmental impacts. Here are the complete, unabridged guidelines to oil sands tenure. Oil sands, or tar sands are an unconventional source of petroleum. The production of bitumen, the molasseslike hydrocarbon that is mixed in the sand, has grown from 0. Oil sands are actually found all over the world, and are sometimes referred to as tar sands or bituminous sands. Alberta lies a promise of addiction tar sands that can be refined into. Oil sands brochure fact sheet ressources naturelles canada. Using todays production methods, it does take more effort to produce. Natural bitumen is found in many countries, with the largest quantities in canada, kazakhstan and russia. However, reserves of conventional crude oil are declining, and the emphasis is shifting from conventional oil production to the development of nonconventional sources, including oil sands. The oil sands are transported to a processing facility where hot water is used to separate the bitumen from the sands.
Aerobic microbial taxa dominate deep subsurface cores from. Cores spanned the mcmurray formation from approximately 220 to 320 mbs. Having a single large buyer of canadian crude, particularly heavy crude, reduces albertas ability to compete for higher prices. Alberta oil sands industry, 2016, remaining oil in place and proved oil reserves. The albertan oil sands are the most commercially important on the planet, and their development has major socioeconomic impacts. Developments in environmental science alberta oil sands. Alberta oil sands development through job creation and economic activity. With the rapid growth of the oil sands industry in alberta, production is expected to grow from 1.
The 1950s were a period of study, experimentation and exploration in albertas oil sands. The principles, procedures and appendices in the chart below collectively referred to as the guidelines. The oil sands are at the surface near fort mcmurray but deeper underground in the other areas. Canadas oil sands are found in three deposits the athabasca, peace river and cold lake deposits in alberta and saskatchewan. The oil here doesnt come gushing out of the sand the way it does in the middle east.
Surface mining is used when the oil sands are close to the surface, using huge trucks and power shovels. This report evaluates what the paris agreement means for the big five by estimating the social cost of carbon scc of the oil. Chapter 10 ecological analogues for biomonitoring industrial sulfur emissions in the athabasca oil sands region, alberta, canada d. Actual production and projected production in year 2040 from surface mining and in situ extraction wykes and heywood, 2010. Oil sands simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This calendar has been prepared as a courtesy only, the government of alberta does not warrant or make any other representations regarding the use, accuracy, applicability. Oil sands workers will be declared essential in alberta as the province prepares a list of who will keep working should it need to ratchet up its response to the covid19 pandemic.
Due to the nature of developing the oil sands, industry faces significant challenges to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas ghg emissions, water and natural gas required to create a barrel of refined oil. Zero values are used for areas where no extraction is expected to occur. The oil sands are buried under forests in alberta that are the size of florida. Once extracted, bitumen must be diluted or heated to enable it to flow or be pumped. Oil sands deposits are found around the world, including venezuela, the united states and russia, but the athabasca deposit in alberta is the largest, most developed and uses the most technologically advanced production processes.
Canadas proven petroleum hydrocarbon reserves include the oil sands in the athabasca basin of northeastern alberta and saskatchewan. Lipsett department of mechanical engineering, university of alberta, canada abstract as world energy demands increase, so will the exploration and exploitation of alternative energy resources. Canadian natural resources limited cnrl, suncor energy, cenovus energy, imperial oil, and husky energy. As experimentation occurred, several companies emerged as pioneer oil sands developers that planned commercial attempts at extracting, refining and distributing the resource. Land and water impacts of oil sands production in alberta. Subsurface oil sands cores were collected during two field trips in 20 and 2014. Pdf on sep 1, 20, shanese crosby and others published transporting alberta oil sands products. Alberta to declare oil sands workers essential as province. The majority of alberta oil sands production is owned by the five companies that this report focuses on.
The oil sands are a mixture of sand, clay and water together with a dense and extremely sticky form of petroleum referred to as bitumen. One of the authors of this article, andrew leach, chaired the government of albertas climate leadership. Calgary is the center for design engineering and project management, while edmonton, further north and closer to the oil sands deposits, is the site of most. An introduction to development in albertas oil sands. Albertas oil production and where it goes formated. The alberta oil sands is the largest energy project on the planet, lying. This is the twelfth edition of eris oil sands supply cost and development projects update. Most oil sands products are transported to market via. It outlines a strategic approach to responsible development of the oil sands resource. The oil sands are found mainly in the athabasca, peace river and cold lake areas of alberta.
Environmental consequences of oil production from oil sands. A typical oil sands deposit in alberta contains on average about 10% bitumen, 5% water and 85% solids, mostly in the form of coarse silica sand. Alberta energy regulator the in place volume of the oil sands resource is 1. Find out the real story about the alberta oil sands, including the challenges we are facing and how the government of alberta is addressing them as a responsible energy producer. The future of the canadian oil sands oxford institute for energy. Since midwest refineries are largely at capacity, incremental heavy oil from the oil sands must find another buyer, or face deeper discounts. Growth potential of a unique resource amidst regulation, egress, cost, and price uncertainty 3 glossary acronyms aeco alberta electric company.
Defining the issues and assessing the risks find, read. Fort mcmurray but deeper underground in other areas. During the same year, 11% of alberta s oil was delivered to refineries in other parts of canada, and 74% was exported to u. Oil sands reporting calendar as of december 2019 please note this date may occur later because this item requires information from a third party to be completed. Oil sands also contain fine solids and clays, typically in the range of 10 to 30% by weight. This study reports the subsurface microbial ecology of the deep subsurface athabasca oil sands in northern alberta, canada, in an area from which bitumen is produced by sagd. The in place volume of the oil sands resource is 1. Albertas oil sands development has matured and shifted from exploration and development phases in the 1960s and 1970s to fullscale operation and production in more recent decades perry and saloff 2011. Canadian oil sands production and supply in conjunction with an examination of oil sands supply costs. An existing belief is that air quality in the northeastern alberta in the athabasca oil sands region aosr is poor and it is adversely affected by oil sands development weinhold, 2011. What the paris agreement means for albertas oil sands. This calendar has been prepared as a courtesy only, the government of alberta does not warrant or make any other representations regarding the use, accuracy, applicability, performance or reliability of this calendar.
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