Oilsands tech is paving way to a cleaner future

Industry is focused on green solutions, Wes Jickling says.

As we reopen our economy from the COVID-19 slowdown, we have important decisions ahead about our energy future. Canadians are looking for economic recovery and climate leadership; Canada's oilsands industry can be a contributor to both.

As part of this discussion, it's important to share that a group of companies has been working on game-changing projects in a very Canadian way (quietly and collaboratively) to produce energy that is abundant, affordable, protects our lands and with a lower carbon footprint.

This energy is the oil from Canada's oilsands. But it's not the oilsands you may think of — it's driven by cutting-edge clean tech innovation that isn't just transforming the sector, but has the potential for application in industries around the world.

That's the focus of Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA). Members representing more than 90 per cent of oilsands production in Canada are collaborating with national and global experts — academics, scientists, inventors and the like — all focused on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water use while improving land reclamation and tailings management.

COSIA is an “all-in” effort among competitors united in a common goal, and the results are evident. In the last eight years, COSIA members have invested $1.4 billion to develop more than 1,000 technologies that have generated significant environmental improvements — including reducing freshwater-use intensity at in situ operations by 42 per cent and by 18 per cent in mining operations.

During the same time, the sector reduced the GHGS produced per barrel of oil, on average, by 24 per cent (BMO Capital Markets, March 2020). The same report also identifies that deployment of advanced clean-tech innovation could improve the GHG intensity of the sector by a further 30 per cent or more by 2040.

We know there's much more to be done. Climate challenge is one of the most significant concerns of our time, requiring concerted action in all sectors at all levels. Oilsands producers know they must play a role in continuing to reduce not just the emissions from their operations, but all environmental impacts. Many have already announced aggressive emissions reduction goals that demonstrate a step-change commitment. These are based on active pioneering work that COSIA is conducting in several technology areas. Many have the potential to be game-changers and, as a suite, they'll likely transform the emissions trajectory of the sector.

For example, outstanding progress is being made in the area of carbon capture and storage (CCS). Since 2015, the Quest CCS facility, near Edmonton, has captured and safely stored five million tonnes of CO2 underground and at a lower cost than anticipated (that's equivalent to taking 1.25 million cars off the road for a year).

Quest has stored more CO2 than any onshore CCS facility globally with dedicated geological storage. This project has enabled industry to advance and share knowledge about CCS, a technology that can be applied to a wide range of industries, including steel, cement and power generation, to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

Then there's the cross-industry, Canada-u.s., NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition. We're in the final year, with 10 finalist teams (three from Canada) advancing technologies that convert CO2 emissions into useful products, such as a greener concrete; carbon nanofiber that could eventually replace steel and concrete; and graphitic nanoparticles that could strengthen a wide range of materials including plastics.

Natural gas decarbonization is another emissions reduction path that COSIA is exploring. This is about technologies to reduce or remove carbon from the natural gas used to create steam for oilsands operations while creating a valuable carbon product.

As we start to envision the world we wish to re-emerge POST-COVID-19, the oilsands are more prepared than ever to continue leading clean-tech innovation for the sector and beyond.

So, when using any of the thousands of products derived from our oilsands, Canadians can be assured that this natural resource industry will be an important part of a bright and sustainable future, supporting, innovating and leading the way in the development of lower-carbon energy resources.