[en] An overview is included of experience and working relationships of the author that were established with a First Nations people. Terracon first had the opportunity of cooperating and working with a First Nations company in 1966. This relationship originated in conjunction with the reclamation activities at an oil sand operations. This working relationship developed as part of translating landscape plans into final landscapes at the oil sand mine. The work required good team efforts with employees of the Aboriginal company. The initial contacts and working relationships were reasonably satisfactory but these tasks did not bring the author and his partners into direct contact with senior First Nation staff and management. More importantly, the contacts and working relationships made the author realize that there may be opportunities to form strategic alliances and/or joint ventures with Aboriginal companies, particularly in light of the oil sand operator's commitment to employ Aboriginals and Aboriginal owned companies. Several other companies approached the Fort McKay Group, but were unsuccessful. Terracon was successful because it: identified and dealt with the decision makers, had patience and persistence with a First Nation's democratic process, already developed a personal relationship and trust with the band, and started with several verbal agreements, leading to written contracts and then to the current partnership, Terracon-McKay Ltd

[en] The remediation of the cumulative effects of process spills resulting from more than 60 years of oil and gas exploration in the the heavy oil areas around Lloydminster was the focus of this presentation. The remediation of soil and groundwater pollution involves both technical and economic challenges. This paper presented a remediation strategy that focuses on salt effects rather than hydrocarbons, since impacts from saltwater are much more prevalent than from hydrocarbons in the subject area. Since most of the impacts in this area occur in fine textured soils, the remediation strategy takes advantage of increased soil permeability. The strategy uses a low volume groundwater recovery system, natural precipitation and the existing infrastructure for handling recovered fluids. The monitoring of groundwater flow patterns has shown that this recovery system is effectively capturing leachate from contaminated soils. This strategy was shown to be a cost effective way to address localized salt contamination in fine textured soils at both active and decommissioned sites. 12 tabs., 17 figs

[en] The recently announced oil sands development of the Wood Buffalo Region in Alberta was the focus of this power point presentation. Both mining and in situ development is expected to total $26 billion and 2.6 million barrels per day of bitumen production. This paper described the economic, social and environmental challenges facing the resource development of this region. In addition to the proposed oil sands projects, this region will accommodate the needs of conventional oil and gas production, forestry, building of pipelines and power lines, municipal development, recreation, tourism, mining exploration and open cast mining. The Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA) was inaugurated as a non-profit association in April 2000, and includes 41 members from all sectors. Its major role is to ensure a sustainable ecosystem and to avoid any cumulative impacts on wildlife. Other work underway includes the study of soil and plant species diversity, and the effects of air emissions on human health, wildlife and vegetation. The bioaccumulation of heavy metals and their impacts on surface water and fish is also under consideration to ensure the quality and quantity of surface water and ground water. 3 figs

[en] Syncrude Canada Ltd. applied, pursuant to Section 14 of the Oil Sands Conservation Act, to amend Approval No. 7550 to allow for the expansion of its Mildred Lake upgrading complex, in which the proposed expansion would increase Syncrude's production of marketable hydrocarbons through the addition of a new fluid coker, a flue gas desulphurization unit, new froth treatment facilities, additional hydrotreating and sulphur recovering capabilities and associated ancillary units. Syncrude sought approval for a production scheme for the expanded facilities that would increase annual production volume to 27.5 from 15.3 million cubic m per year of marketable hydrocarbons, and removal of the annual production volume and term limits for the upgrading complex. Under a coordinated application process adopted by Alberta Environment and the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, Syncrude filed a joint application and environmental impact assessment. It also filed for an amendment to its Approval No. 26-01-00 issued under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. The issues to be considered with respect to the application are: technology - diluent recovery, bitumen conversion technology selection, and removal of production and term limits; environment - sulphur dioxide emissions from the base plant, sulphur recovery from acid gas, greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and ozone; and water management - cumulative effects. Considering all the evidence, the Board was prepared, with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, to approve Syncrude's Application No. 980381 with conditions and requirements as referenced in this report and that will be specified in the approval

[en] A detailed review and update of oil sands development in Alberta are provided covering every aspect of the production and economic aspects of the industry. It is pointed out that at present oil sands account for 28 per cent of Canadian crude oil production, expected to reach 50 per cent by 2005. Based on recent announcements, a total of 26 billion dollars worth of projects are in progress or planned; 20 billion dollars worth of this development is in the Athabasca area, the remainder in Cold Lake and other areas. The current update envisages up to 1,800,000 barrels per day by 2008, creating 47,000 new jobs and total government revenues through direct and indirect taxes of 118 billion dollars. Provinces other than Alberta also benefit from these development, since 60 per cent of all employment and income created by oil sands production is in other parts of Canada. Up to 60 per cent of the expansion is for goods and services and of this, 50 to 55 per cent will be purchased from Canadian sources. The remaining 40 per cent of the new investment is for engineering and construction of which 95 per cent is Canadian content. Aboriginal workforce by common consent of existing operators matches regional representation (about 13 per cent), and new developers are expected to match these standards. Planned or ongoing development in environmental protection through improved technologies and optimization, energy efficiency and improved tailings management, and active support of flexibility mechanisms such as emission credits trading, joint implementation and carbon sinks are very high on the industry's agenda. The importance of offsets are discussed extensively along with key considerations for international negotiations, as well as further research of other options such as sequestration, environmentally benign disposal of waste, and enhanced voluntary action

[en] The impacts that technological advances in oil sand mining have had on the heavy oil industry were discussed. At a July 1999 oil sands workshop an assembly of engineers from various technology firms discussed how technology has made heavy oil production viable. New technology has made it possible to cut oil sand production costs in half. Bitumen, which was once viewed as an uncompetitive resource, has been made competitive through innovations such as steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) and Vapex. Non-thermal production such as methods involving solvents rather than heat to make bitumen and heavy oil flow have also contributed to the success of oil sand mining. Both Syncrude and Suncor employ the SAGD process which makes use of two parallel horizontal wells. In this process, steam is injected into the top well to heat the oil making it flow and drop to the second well which recovers it. Syncrude's use of hydrotransport as a means of moving oil sands ore by pipeline has improved the energy efficiency at oil sand mining facilities which previously used the dragline method. Another technological innovation is a new water distillation system developed by Aqua Pure Inc. The new system uses a process of heating, reheating and compressing water vapour until the contaminants are separated from the water. The Taciuk processor, developed in Alberta, is currently being used in Australia. This thermal recovery process makes use of spent shale to provide heat. Canadian technology, particularly in the oil-sand development is in demand internationally. SAGD wells are in demand in Venezuela, Australia and Albania. 1 fig

[en] The project is an oil shale open pit mine and processing operation that is currently being commissioned 15 km north of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia, and is owned as a joint venture by Southern Pacific Petroleum N.L., Central Pacific Minerals N.L, and Suncor Energy Inc., a leading Canadian company that is an integrated energy company. The results of a comprehensive investigation are included of the potential environmental impacts of the project, and which are described in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In stage two, there is included the existing mine expansion as well as the construction of an additional process plant based around a larger commercial scale ATP oil shale processing plant. The new stage two operation will be developed next to and integral with services and infrastructure provided for stage one. Described are: the assessment process, regulatory framework and the project area, the needs for an alternative to the project, the proposal itself, the existing natural, social and economic impacts, and the environmental impacts as well as plans for their mitigation. In appendices there are included a draft environmental management overview strategy and an environmental management plan. The elements covered in the report by section are: background, need for the project, the proponent, legislation and approvals, project description, environmental issues and impact management

[en] The long term objective of the Oil Sands Business Unit of Alberta Energy is to pave the way for Alberta's bitumen production to reach 3 million barrels per day by 2020. This presentation described the national government's role in resource development. It was emphasized that since the Crown is the owner of the oil sands resource, it would benefit by providing strategic leadership and by generating a larger royalty base. The oil sands fiscal regime was described with reference to generic royalty, risk sharing, investment, and project economics. Business rule principles were also outlined along with criteria for project expansions. Both upstream and downstream challenges and opportunities were listed. 4 figs

[en] New markets and pipeline capacity are needed to support Western Canadian oil sands production. A corporate overview of Terasen, a Canadian company with an asset base of over $4 billion was provided in this presentation, as well as details of oil sands supply and infrastructure. A chart of Western Canadian crude supply was presented, along with a map of key current and future markets. It was noted that traditional gas production is expected to decline by 4 per cent per year. Heavy crudes are expected to decline by 3 per cent per year, with imports expected to increase by 460,000 bpd by 2015. However, the Canadian market will face competition from South America. Details of the Far East market were reviewed. Strong West Coast demand has resulted in capacity apportionment for most of 2003 and 2004. Various express opportunities were examined. Corridor expansion was discussed in relation to the Bison project and the Heartland terminal in Edmonton. Choices for marine exports and TMX expansion were also reviewed. TMX representative tolls were listed. Specific project challenges include building and operating pipelines through rugged, environmentally sensitive terrain; stakeholder relations; and a need for shipper commitments. It was noted that there is strong support to continue development, with commercial discussions proceeding. An open season is planned for 2005, with new capacity expected to be in service by late 2006. Terasen's project plans include building strong customer relations; stakeholder engagement; and efficient construction strategies. tabs., figs

[en] A corporate profile of Suncor Energy, a Canadian integrated energy company placing the emphasis on the development of the Athabasca oil sands in northern Alberta, is provided. A message from the president reiterates the company's commitment to improving both the environmental and economic performance through innovative policies and strategic management plans. A sustainable approach to climate change has meant an effort toward reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases and improving energy use. Suncor has lowered its greenhouse gas emission intensity by 11 per cent below 1990 levels in 2001. Total reductions of 12.9 million tonnes have been achieved during the period 1990-2001. The total absolute emissions are above 1990 levels, which can be explained by tremendous production growth at Suncor Energy. Suncor has developed a seven-point plan to address the issue of climate change as follows: manage its greenhouse gas emissions, develop renewable sources of energy, invest in environmental and economic research, use domestic and foreign offsets, collaborate with governments and other stakeholder groups on policy development, educate its employees and the public on ways to respond to the risk posed by climate change, and measure and report its progress from that perspective. The document is divided into sections. The first section provides an organization profile, and section two discusses senior management support. In section three, a review of base year methodology and quantification is provided, followed by projection in section four. Target setting is the topic of section five, while section six deals with measures to achieve targets. The results achieved are highlighted in section seven. Education, training and awareness is broached in section eight, and the final section includes the statistical summary. tabs., figs