Alberta has five refineries: Strathcona (Imperial Oil), Edmonton (Suncor), and Scotford (Shell) in the Edmonton area; Sturgeon (NWR) in Redwater; and Lloydminster (Cenovus) in Lloydminster. Combined, these refineries have a total oil processing capacity of 542.4 Mb/d.
Does Alberta refine their own oil?
Generally, refineries are located on major waterways, near major cities, or near crude oil production. For example, all Alberta refineries are located in the heart of the WCSB, where they source their crude oil.
How many oil refineries does Alberta have?
5
Oil Refineries
There are 17 refineries in Canada, and 5 are in Alberta. These refineries have a combined refining capacity of 0.30 million cubic metres per day (106 m3/d) or 1.9 million barrels per day (106 bbl/d).
Why doesn’t Alberta have refineries?
That’s because oil sands comes out of the ground as bitumen, which must be upgraded to lighter, synthetic crude to be able to flow in pipelines. There are no upgraders east of Alberta and only one refiner in Sarnia has a coker, leaving producers few choices but to flow the oil south.
Where does Alberta oil get refined?
Many of these refineries are located in the U.S. Midwest. Another reason is that oil from Alberta has begun reaching the large refining hub on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Almost three-quarters of Alberta’s oil exports to the U.S. are still destined for the Midwest re-gion.
Why can’t Canada produce more oil?
Canadian oil producers are not rushing to raise supply too much because of the country’s perennial problem with limits to the pipeline takeaway capacity, thus not reaping the benefits of $90 oil prices, according to Capital Economics.
Do we get oil from Alberta?
Alberta is the largest contributor to Canadian oil and equivalent production. Increased horizontal drilling activity and multistage hydraulic fracturing technologies have increased production.
Does Alberta have more oil than Saudi Arabia?
Alberta’s oil sands has the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world, after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Alberta’s oil sands’ proven reserves equal about 165.4 billion barrels (bbl).
Does Alberta have the most oil in Canada?
Alberta is Canada’s largest oil and natural gas producer and is home to vast deposits of both resources. Alberta oil production makes up about 80% of Canada’s total oil production. Alberta’s oil sands are located in the northern area of the province, while natural gas is found throughout the province.
Can Canada be self sufficient in oil?
On paper, Canada could become energy self-sufficient tomorrow. Every day we produce about 3.9 million barrels of oil per day, and use less than 2 million barrels. A study this year from the Canadian Energy Research Institute even calculated that energy self-sufficiency might reduce emissions.
Does Alberta refine its own gasoline?
The new Sturgeon Refinery at Redwater, Alberta, near Edmonton, will start refining up to 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) of diluted bitumen into diesel and other light petroleum products in 2020. The project has been developed through a partnership between North West Refining Inc.
Does Texas have more oil than Alberta?
Between 2009 and 2014 Texas’s onshore crude oil production increased by 190%, reaching nearly 3.2 million barrels of oil per day. Alberta’s combined crude oil and bitumen production in 2014 was slightly less than 2.9 million barrels per day.
Why doesn t Canada refine tar sands?
The big refineries are mostly in the east. Those in central and eastern Canada mostly process lighter crude oils, with western refiners more focused on locally available oil sands crude. Because of Canada’s relatively small population, the high capital demands and long-term payback period for refining are problematic.
How long will the oil in Alberta last?
The CER said oil production is likely to remain resilient over the next three decades, despite relatively low oil prices and steadily more ambitious climate policies, thanks to northern Alberta’s vast oil sands deposits, which account for nearly two-thirds of Canadian production.
How long will Alberta oil sands last?
Nevertheless, oil production there is expected to continue for at least two more decades. Local companies have stepped in to keep working the existing mines and wells. Last year, the oil sands were on track to deliver more oil than ever.
Why is Alberta’s oil so cheap?
It’s also generally cheaper because of the many transportation difficulties with getting it out of landlocked Alberta and into pipelines or railcars bound for refineries on the U.S. Gulf coast.
Does Canada have more oil than Russia?
Canada, home to the tar sands of northern Alberta, is the fourth-largest oil producer in the world after Russia, Saudi Arabia and the US, and for weeks, pro-oil Canadian politicians have called for the expansion of fossil fuel projects in response to the Ukraine crisis.
Why is Canada’s oil dirty?
Over the last three decades, Canada’s oil and gas sector has shifted towards production that is higher in carbon and more risky—from conventional oil to tar sands oil, and with increased production from offshore.
Does Canada have undiscovered oil?
Canada has the third-largest proven oil reserve in the world, most of which is in the oil sands. Proven oil reserves are reserves that are known to exist and that are recoverable under current technological and economic conditions.
What happens when Alberta runs out of oil?
This net loss would result in Alberta’s per capita GDP falling to $52,000 — a shade less than the 2019 national average of $52,380. Alberta would indeed lose its “have” status. The implications of a roughly one-third drop in income would be catastrophic for Albertans.
Is Alberta in a oil boom?
But now, global demand for oil is again rising and prices are high, yet more oil-production revenue is not translating into a sustained economic boom for Alberta. The province’s economy grew by 4.8 per cent in real terms (with inflation removed) in 2021.