|
Featured Articles
|
|
|
| May 2008
| Looking at the long term
[ConocoPhillips Canada oilsands vice-president brings new experience to Alberta] | Although Matt Fox did not grow up around Canada's unconventional oil industry, he appears to carry the same affection for its frustration and success as those who have been around it for decades. Last June, Fox took over as senior oilsands vice-president with ConocoPhillips Canada, and he says the industry has a unique position in today's global energy market.
"If you're in the oil bus...
| | |
|
| May 2008
| The end of the sludge pond?
[Dry tailings technology developers report upcoming commercialization] | One would expect Bitmin Resources president John Somers to have a plaque on his desk with that famous Henry Wadsworth Longfellow quote, "All things come round to him who will but wait."
Somers has been waiting-working, but waiting-20 years to see the stars align the way it appears they are right now.
Bitmin Resources is in talks to commercialize the dry tailings bitumen production...
| | |
|
| Apr 2008
| Devoted to R&D
[Lifelong learning a passion for Catherine Laureshen] | For many people, career begins with industry, and progresses over time to government and academia. For Catherine Laureshen, this has not been the case, and as a result, her first position with industry has taken her to a senior level with the Canadian subsidiary of one of the world's super-major producers.
"I did this backwards," laughs Laureshen, a former faculty member in the Departme...
| | |
|
| Apr 2008
| Steaming up the past
[Left-behind U.S. heavy oil resource the target of renewed exploitation effort] | The Kern oil field surrounding the city of Bakersfield, California, is one of the world's legendary petroleum discoveries.
Found in 1899 when a shallow hand-dug well yielded flowing oil, the Kern field put California on the petroleum map. Soon after the discovery, acre upon acre of wooden derricks quickly over took the farmland north of Bakersfield, turning California into the top oil...
| | |
|
| Apr 2008
| Undeveloped acreage
[Oilsands Quest's search evolves] | What started as a quest for bitumen has become a quest for technology-the best technology, that is, to develop the resource that Saskatchewan's explorers have found. Oilsands Quest has now formed a new technology subsidiary, made key staff appointments, and is preparing for a reservoir test at its Axe Lake discovery.
The developments are big steps in an initiative that has developed qui...
| | |
|
| Mar 2008
| The world gets heavier
[High prices and growing demand put global focus on unconventional oil plays] | The world is hungry for oil.
In 2007 it consumed around 87 million barrels per day, despite prices averaging a little over $75 per barrel for the year.
By 2015 supplies are expected to increase to 110 million barrels per day, according to global energy consultants Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA). By 2025 that number is predicted to climb to around 120 million bar...
| | |
|
| Mar 2008
| Consolidation mode
[Oilsands leases demand lower bids as buyers move out from the “sweet spot”] | Bidding activity at Alberta's bi-monthly auctions of oilsands rights ground nearly to a halt as 2007 drew to a close, and early action in 2008 hasn't been a whole lot better, suggesting the industry might be slipping into a consolidation mode as it awaits additional clarity on royalty, upgrading, and pricing issues.
Bonus payments in the fourth quarter last year fell just shy of $64 mil...
| | |
|
| Feb 2008
| Value-added?
[The Government of Alberta wants industry to build new upgrading capacity within the province, but some in the marketplace don't seem to agree] | Not all of Alberta's bitumen producers are interested in upgrading within the province, although the Alberta government continues to push for this value-added strategy.
Alberta Energy would like to see the Industrial Heartland, near Edmonton, continue to be developed as a hub for upgrading, refining, and petrochemical production. Ed Condrotte, director of refining and petrochemicals wit...
| | |
|
| Feb 2008
| Archeology boom
[AMEC adds four full-time experts to support development needs] | The area around Fort McMurray is not just rich in oil, forestry, and minerals. It is also lush in artifacts of human history-identified as the highest density of pre-contact archeological sites in Alberta, and one of the highest in North America.
As industrial development expands, so does the knowledge of human history that comes from these sites. That's because it is a regulatory requ...
| | |
|
| Feb 2008
| Never say never
[David Theriault gives bold young company Laricina Energy an experienced hand in entering new frontiers] | Laricina Energy is a sapling in a field of giants. Founded just two years ago, the company has some lofty goals-it is planning to get bitumen out of carbonates, for heaven's sake-and has committed to exploration and development in areas where others have failed.
Breaking new ground in challenging areas such as carbonate recovery demands in-depth knowledge of the oilsands industry and a...
| | |
|
|
