Athabasca oil sands
The Athabasca oil sands, also known as the Athabasca tar sands, are large deposits of bitumen, a heavy and viscous form of petroleum, located in northeastern Alberta, Canada. These reserves are one of the largest sources of unconventional oil in the world, making Canada a significant player in the global energy market.
| Athabasca oil sands | |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Region | Northern Alberta |
| Offshore/onshore | Onshore, mining |
| Coordinates | 57.02°N 111.65°W |
| Operators | Syncrude, Suncor Energy, Canadian Natural Resources, Total S.A., Imperial Oil, Petro Canada, Devon Energy, Husky Energy, Statoil, Nexen |
| Partners | Chevron Corporation, Marathon Oil, ConocoPhillips, BP, Occidental Petroleum |
| Field history | |
| Discovery | 1848 |
| Start of production | 1967 |
| Production | |
| Current production of oil | 2,800,000 barrels per day (~1.4×108 t/a) |
| Estimated oil in place | 133,000 million barrels (~1.81×1010 t) |
| Producing formations | McMurray, Clearwater, Grand Rapids |
As of 2023 Canada's oil sands industry, along with Western Canada and offshore petroleum facilities near Newfoundland and Labrador, continued to increase production and were projected to increase by an estimated 10% in 2024 representing a potential record high at the end of the year of approximately 5.3 million barrels per day (bpd). The surge in production is attributed mainly to growth in Alberta's oilsands. The expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline—the only oil pipeline to the West Coast—will further facilitate this increase, with its capacity set to increase significantly, to 890,000 barrels per day from 300,000 bpd currently. Despite this growth, there are warnings that it might be short-lived, with production potentially plateauing after 2024. Canada's anticipated increase in oil output exceeds that of other major producers like the United States, and the country is poised to become a significant driver of global crude oil production growth in 2024. The exploitation of these resources has stirred debates regarding economic development, energy security, and environmental impacts, particularly emissions from the oilsands, prompting discussions around emissions regulations for the oil and gas sector.
The Athabaska oil sands, along with the nearby Peace River and Cold Lake deposits oil sand deposits lie under 141,000 square kilometres (54,000 sq mi) of boreal forest and muskeg (peat bogs) according to Government of Alberta's Ministry of Energy, Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).