Canadian oil sands production is expected to reach 3.7 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2030. S&P Global said on Thursday, raising the analytics firm’s 2030 production outlook for the country for the first time in half a decade.
“The Canadian oil sands have entered an ‘era of optimization’,” said Kevin Birn of S&P Global Commodity Insights.
According to the Business Council, the industry is expected to contribute more than $200 billion annually to the country’s GDP. In addition, it is a major employer supporting up to 700,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The Horizon Oil Sands facility operated by Canadian Natural Resources in Fort Mackay, Alberta is one of the largest extraction and upgrading projects for bitumen (a form of heavy oil) in Canada.
World leader in heavy lifting, Sarens, engineered transport and crane rental, has participated in the new plant expansion project by assembling, transporting and installing pieces of the Furnace 31-F-1C, each of which weighs 100,000 kg and is over 20 meters long.
Under the name of DRU-1, this expansion project will add 50,000 barrels per day of capacity to the Horizon Oil plant, which currently produces 250,000 barrels per day. It will also reduce the use of diluent, a chemical that is mixed with bitumen to facilitate its transport by pipeline resulting in cost savings and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Sarens engineering team carried out a detailed analysis of work plan in order to carry out the project in the most efficient way, and in due time. After examining the site and the components to be lifted, the Sarens team decided to use Terex CC-2400-1 SSL & CC-2400-1 SWSL cranes and a Self Propelled Modular Transport (SPMT).
Sarens has extensive experience in the construction and upgrade of oil sands process plants in Canada.
Oil sands extraction and processing remains one of Canada’s most important economic drivers.
