News Updates
July 30, 2010
With its royalty-in-kind program, the Alberta government could eventually have huge volumes of bitumen to market and having an upgrading option - just like all the big oilsands players do - makes sense for the province and will bring added benefits in employment and taxes.
July 30, 2010
Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) says not a single bird landed on its sole tailings pond at its Horizon oilsands mine during this year's spring migration and it is confident of that assertion because it has a team monitoring bird landings 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Calvin Duane, CNRL's manager, environment, told the DOB.
July 30, 2010
Syncrude Canada Ltd. is anticipating it will produce 13,700 bbls per day less than expected this year, revising its estimate to 301,000 bbls per day in 2010 due to unplanned outages that have now been resolved.
July 29, 2010
MEG Energy Corp. has filed a post-receipt pricing supplemented prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada in connection with its initial public offering of 20 million common shares at a price of $35 per share.
July 29, 2010
Cenovus Energy Inc. reported big production gains at its signature thermal bitumen projects in the second quarter compared to a year ago.
July 29, 2010
Canadian Natural Resources Limited's production of synthetic crude oil ("SCO") at its Horizon oilsands mine jumped to 117,600 bbls per day in June from 81,400 bbls a day in May.
July 28, 2010
Poplar Creek Resources Inc. says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Norwegian Oilsands Corp. whereby, subject to certain conditions, it has the right to earn a 50% interest in 31 sections of contiguous oilsand leases owned by NOS.
July 23, 2010
U.S. legislators were given a guided tour of the oilsands Wednesday as the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region's (PNWER) summer summit concluded.
July 23, 2010
Nexen Inc. has closed the sale of its heavy oil properties in western Canada to Northern Blizzard Resources Inc. for $975 million (before closing adjustments and costs).
July 22, 2010
Three new methods of in situ bitumen production are either awaiting funding or industry partners for further development or commercialization, company executives said Wednesday.
July 22, 2010
Between improving public perception, water usage and greenhouse gas emissions, oilsands developers have no shortage of challenges but raising capital isn't one of them, a forum on unconventional oil heard last week.
July 20, 2010
The fact the oilsands industry uses extraction methods that don't involve tailings ponds and is working to reduce its carbon footprint needs to be successfully communicated to the public if the industry's tarnished reputation is to recover, says a newly released report by the Canada West Foundation, which tracked oilsands media coverage over a one-year period.
July 20, 2010
Seair Inc. says it has been chosen by a major energy-services firm to pursue tailing and remediation projects in the oilsands region.
July 20, 2010
Oilsands Quest Inc. reported a net loss of $64.5 million or 21 cents per share for the year ended April 30, 2010 compared to a net loss of $89.1 million or 34 cents per share for the prior fiscal year.
July 20, 2010
A week after U.S. critics launched a hostile PR campaign against Canada's oilsands sector, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach continued yesterday to counter misinformation spread by the initiative, which saw billboards posted by groups like Corporate Ethics International (DOB, July 19, 2010).
July 19, 2010
With increased certainty of supply, Canadian oilsands shippers and producers are showing increased interest in diversifying their markets beyond the United States, a forum on unconventional oil heard last week.
July 19, 2010
The oilsands are a top priority for the federal government, and Ottawa supports responsible development of the resource, federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice said Saturday.
July 19, 2010
Corporate Ethics International and other activist groups involved in the Rethink Alberta campaign pulled several anti-oil, anti-Canada advertisements placed in U.S. markets on Friday.
July 16, 2010
Technological change can be a game changer when applied to unconventional oil wells, a panel of SAGD (steam assisted gravity drainage) players told the TD Newcrest unconventional oil forum Thursday.
July 16, 2010
Aggregate bitumen production from SAGD projects in Alberta was approximately 315,000 bbls per day for the month of May, more than double that of two years ago, according to an investment report from Peters & Co. Limited which expects production growth to continue at a rapid pace over the next decade based on the number and scale of proposed new projects.
July 16, 2010
Husky Energy Inc. says undisclosed changes it is making to wells at its thermal oil project Tucker coming onstream later this year will determine in the next six months or so whether or not it is a commercially viable project.
July 15, 2010
An angry Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has vowed that his government will counter a new advertising campaign by a United States environmental group that asks Americans to reconsider their travel plans to Alberta which the group calls the source of "the world's dirtiest oil."
July 15, 2010
As it continues to mull a possible sale of the company, OPTI Canada Inc. said bitumen production at its Long Lake steam-assisted gravity-drainage (SAGD) rose to more than one-third of design capacity in the second quarter, up from one-quarter of capacity in this year's first quarter.
July 15, 2010
Output at Nexen Inc.'s Long Lake in situ oilsands project has hit a new high of 28,500 bbls per day currently, having grown from 14,000 bbls per day in the fourth quarter of 2009 after a turnaround last fall, and the company expects its steam-oil ratio (SOR) of between five and six to improve.
July 14, 2010
Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association along with supporters from the petrochemical industry, local municipalities and employee groups, has launched a public campaign to build support for more oilsands value-added products.
