Most people have heard of the Keystone XL pipeline. To many though it’s not clear why there’s so much controversy about the project. The basics are simple: The proposed pipeline to be built by TransCanada would carry 830,000 barrels of oil per day from the oil sands down to Nebraska. Supporters contend it will create jobs and bolster the flow of oil from […]
Comment: Oil sands phase-out may be Canada’s greatest contribution to the world
The occasion of writing this column prompted reflection on my engineering career, in particular three critical junctures. The first was in 1970, when my teacher pointed to Northern Alberta on a map at the front of our classroom, declaring that the oil embedded in the soil there would be Canada’s most important contribution to the […]
New diluent line to oil sands up and running
Inter Pipeline has completed a $1.1 billion conduit serving two northern Alberta oil sands projects operated by Cenovus Energy Inc. The new line will deliver as much as 350,000 barrels per day of diluent, an ultra light form of crude oil blended into the tar-like bitumen from the oil sands so it can flow on […]