Oil Sands Technology Roadmap — About This Document

The Chamber is well known for its success in pursuing oil sands initiatives on behalf of our members and stakeholders. The report of our National Task Force on Oil Sands Strategy became the pre-eminent vision for the development and expansion of the oil sands. That plan became a reality through the efforts of our members, governments and partners. The Alberta Chamber of Resources is now pleased to release the Oil Sands Technology Roadmap, a strategy that will be essential to the continued development of this vast resource.

Over almost 40 years of commercial activity, oil sands industry pioneers have developed the necessary technology to extract oil sands bitumen and produce synthetic crude oil to compete at world prices. The industry now has many industry leaders, who are well on their way to producing 2 million barrels daily in aggregate by 2012. By then, the oil sands industry will be the dominant Canadian source of liquid hydrocarbons and will ensure future domestic oil self-sufficiency while expanding our export potential.

The Oil Sands Technology Roadmap identifies an ambitious vision of 5 million barrels daily by 2030. It describes many of the internal and external challenges that industry must address to achieve this goal in an economical, environmental and socially responsible manner. Technology advances have powered the industry we know today, and will be equally important in the future. This report identifies the new technology required that will underpin the future prosperity of the industry and its many stakeholders.

Investments in technology development for this industry must be dedicated and sustained. Governments and Industry need to develop a collaborative long-term strategy. Many gains have been made in organized research and development, but we will need to take fresh approaches and refocus on this task. The Oil Sands Technology Roadmap will provide that direction and will act as a guide, to assist and monitor developments over time, and to support those who are developing new technologies in Alberta, in Canada and around the globe.

We extend our thanks to the hundreds of people who have contributed to the Oil Sands Technology Roadmap, a collaborative effort between the Alberta Chamber of Resources, Natural Resources Canada, the Alberta Energy Research Institute and our oil sands stakeholders. We encourage all stakeholders to contribute again, as we translate technology needs into concrete research and development plans. We urge you to review this document, to consider the future and, most importantly, to act!

Acknowledgements

The Alberta Chamber of Resources would like to acknowledge various contributions to this project:

Financial and In-Kind Assistance

• Alberta Chamber of Resources
• Alberta Research Council
• Alberta Energy Research Institute
• Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.
• Deer Creek Energy Limited
• Encana Corporation
• Enbridge Pipelines Inc.
• LENEF Consulting Limited
• North American Construction Group
• Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
• Optima Engineers & Constructors Inc.
• P&H MinePro Services — Canada
• Shell Canada Limited
• Spartan Controls Ltd.
• Suncor Energy Inc.
• Syncrude Canada Ltd.
• Transalta Utilities Corporation

Oil Sands Technology Roadmap Steering Committee

• Brad Anderson, Alberta Chamber of Resources
• Doug Komery, Alberta Energy Research Institute
• Len Flint, LENEF Consulting Limited
• Kevin Cliffe, Natural Resources Canada
• Carol Fairbrother, Natural Resources Canada
• Bruce Stewart, Natural Resources Canada
• Mike Singleton, Suncor Energy Inc.
• John Oxenford, Syncrude Canada Ltd.

The Alberta Chamber of Resources would like to acknowledge the work of Andiea Hermes, in our office, who provided valuable assistance in the organization of the workshops and maintained the contact database through which participants were kept informed of workshop information, drafts and other updates. In addition, the Chamber would like to acknowledge the many individuals, too numerous to mention, who attended and/or provided assistance at the workshops in Fort McMurray, Edmonton and Calgary in September 2003. Many individuals also contributed helpful suggestions that have been incorporated in this report.

Foreword

This report concentrates on the identification of the challenges and technology gaps as part of the development to date of the Oil Sands Technology Roadmap. It is based on the original "discussion" document developed in August 2003 and also incorporates feedback derived from three workshops held during September 2003, in Fort McMurray, Edmonton and Calgary. While this report is technical in nature and content, we have attempted to make it both easy to read and readily understood by all stakeholders.

The following individuals from industry, government, and the research community donated their time and made significant contributions as chapter editors both of the pre-workshop discussion document and of this report. Their work reflects not only their individual contributions but also that of colleagues and associates.

• Bill Dawson, National Centre for Upgrading Technology
• Carol Fairbrother, Oil Division, Natural Resources Canada
• Len Flint, LENEF Consulting Limited
• Ian Potter, Alberta Research Council
• John Oxenford, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
• Murray Gray, University of Alberta
• Paul Manuel, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
• Ruben Nelson, Square One Management Ltd.
• Song Sit, Encana Corporation
• Ted Lord, Syncrude Canada Ltd.
• Tom McCann, T.J. McCann & Associates

Len Flint was the overall coordinator of the Technology Roadmap work. Carol Fairbrother coordinated Steering Committee meetings and the organization of the workshops, and contributed background research and editing throughout the project. As a final content editor, Len Flint accepts responsibility for any errors or omissions in the inclusion of comments from industry-wide contributors. Any serious omissions of technology development opportunities in the Roadmap will be incorporated in the next phase of this work.

During 2004, work will begin on concise technology development plans in all key areas, and these will be published as they become available. The plans will include expectations on the division between industry and publicly funded research, will identify key R&D providers, the timeframe and required funding.