User:Arturo at BP/Canadian oil sands
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Canadian oil sands[edit]
BP holds an interest in three oil sands properties in Alberta, Canada. The oil sand reserves in the province as a whole total approximately 170 billion barrels of recoverable oil, making them the third largest oil reserves in the world, according to BP's website.[1][2] In Canada, BP is not involved in oil sands mining,[3] and instead is investing in oil sand resources that can be developed through in-situ drilling technologies such as Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD).The SAGD method involves pumping steam into oil sands through an injection well to heat the bitumen, which allows it to flow into the production well and up to the surface.[4][2] According to an analysis published by the Canadian government in 2011, in situ drilling is less disruptive to the land than traditional oil sands mining because in situ drilling does not create tailings ponds, a byproduct of other oil sands extraction methods.[5] Proponents of in situ drilling state that using recycled groundwater makes it the more environmentally friendly option compared to oil sands mining.[6][7] However, members of the Cree Nation have criticized BP's involvement in the Canadian oil sands for the impacts that oil extraction is said to have on the local environment.[8] Environmentalists have also inveighed against in situ oil sands operations because of the volume of water required by the method and the effect in situ drilling has on natural habitats, species and water sources.[9] In addition to using more water than oil sands mining, in situ drilling also results in higher carbon dioxide emissions.[10][7] In 2012, BP joined 11 other oil sands producing companies in forming Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance. Members of the organization have agreed to jointly fund environmental research to improve the oil sand extraction process to enable faster land reclamation and reduce the use of waste ponds.[11]
- ^ "BP in Canada". bp.com. BP. 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Canadian oil sands". bp.com. BP. 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ "BP and Oil Sands: Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). bp.com. BP. 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ^ "FACTBOX-Money flows again in Canada's oil sands industry". Reuters. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
- ^ "Oil Sands: A Strategic resource for Canada, North America and the global market" (PDF). nrcan.ga.ca. Government of Canada. August 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ Andrew Topf (September–October 2010). "Insitu: Oil Sands Mining Goes Underground" (PDF). Mining Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ a b Elana Schor (16 August 2011). "Reclaimed Dump Sparks Oil Sands Sustainability Debate". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ Terry Macalister (23 August 2009). "Cree aboriginal group to join London climate camp protest over tar sands". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
- ^ "Deep Trouble: The reality of in situ tar sands operations". greenpeace.org. Greenpeace Canada. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ Katharine Ainger (27 August 2009). "The tactics of these rogue climate elements must not succeed". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
- ^ Edward Welsch (1 March 2012). "Canada oil-sands firms to share green technology". Marketwatch. Retrieved 25 September 2012.