Name of the Project
Fort Hills oil sands mining project.
Location
About 90 km north of Fort McMurray, in the Athabasca oil sands region of north-eastern Alberta, Canada.
Project Owner/s
Suncor Energy (53.06%), Total E&P Canada (26.05%) and Teck Resources (20.89%).
Project Description
Fort Hill has best contingent resources of about 3.3-billion barrels of bitumen, with a mine life estimated at more than 50 years at the current planned production rate.
The project has been developed as an openpit truck-and-shovel mine.
The mine comprises two main pits and a mine fleet capable of sustaining production of 14 500 t/h of oil sand.
The mine has a nameplate capacity of 194 000 bbl/d.
The oil sands feed is delivered to two ore-crushing plants, where oil-sand material is crushed and processed.
Ore from the crushing is mixed with warm water and conditioned to create a slurry, which is transported to the primary extraction using three hydrotransport lines.
In primary extraction, the conditioned oil sands slurry are fed to two trains of separation cells. These cells remove the bitumen from the sand, which yields a froth mixture of bitumen, water and clay. The froth is sent for further treatment in the secondary extraction, where it is mixed with a solvent and undergoes two stages of countercurrent settlers to remove asphaltenes, and excess sand and water. The bitumen is then sent to a solvent recovery unit to remove the solvent and prepare the bitumen for shipping.
The project has been designed to optimise and protect land use by applying the latest technology and approaches to tailings management and reclamation processes. Existing and future water-quality standards and environmental regulations will be met or exceeded throughout the life of the project. The project will aim to return all disturbed land as close as possible to a natural state.
Potential Job Creation
At peak construction, Fort Hills employed an average of 7 900 people. Now in operation, Fort Hills employs an estimated 1 400 direct employees and the majority have been hired from Alberta.
Capital Expenditure
The estimated cost to develop the project is C$17-billion.
Planned Start/End Date
First oil was achieved at Fort Hills on January 29.
Latest Developments
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) is reconsidering the approval of a plan that enables Suncor Energy to extend its Fort Hills oil-sands above mine into nearby wetlands after pressure from an environmental group.
The AER approved Suncor’s plan in September 2022 to protect certain portions of the McClelland Lake Wetlands Complex, a necessary step to allow for mining to expand in the area,
The agency is reconsidering that approval.
The Alberta Wilderness Association has asked the regulator to revoke the permission after finding deficiencies in Suncor’s plan that pose “a serious risk” to the wetlands.
The AER is facing increased federal oversight and a third-party review of its response to a tailings-pond leak at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oil-sands mine that was criticized by local indigenous communities.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Suncor, email forthills@suncor.com.