https://www.miningweekly.com

Receive our free daily newsletter:

Oil Sands

Oil sands are a mixture of sand, clay, water and bitumen, a thick and viscous form of petroleum that occurs naturally in large deposits. The bitumen is extracted and processed into synthetic crude oil or refined directly into petroleum products. Oil sands are found in several regions worldwide, with the largest and most economically significant deposits located in Alberta, Canada, particularly in the Athabasca, Cold Lake and Peace River areas. The extraction process typically involves either surface mining for shallow deposits or in-situ methods such as steam-assisted gravity drainage for deeper reserves. Oil sands production has become a major component of North America's energy supply, with Canada ranking among the world's top oil producers largely due to these resources. The industry is capital-intensive and requires substantial infrastructure, including upgrading facilities to convert bitumen into lighter crude oil suitable for refining. Oil sands crude, often marketed as Western Canada Select, trades at a discount to benchmark crudes such as West Texas Intermediate due to its heavier quality and transportation costs. The sector faces ongoing scrutiny over its environmental footprint, including greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and land disturbance. Major producers include Cenovus Energy, Canadian Natural Resources and Suncor Energy. The expansion of pipeline capacity, such as the Trans Mountain pipeline, has been critical to improving market access for oil sands production to coastal and international markets.

Oil Sands News


Greenfire Resources plant in Canada
Canada's Greenfire Resources to buy Connacher for $900m
14th July 2026 By: Reuters

Greenfire Resources said on Monday that it has agreed to acquire privately held Connacher Oil and Gas Limited for around C$1.27-billion ($900-million) in cash. On a combined basis, Greenfire's... 


Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney
Canada, Alberta announce new west coast oil pipeline to boost exports
3rd July 2026 By: Reuters

Canada announced plans to build a new oil pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific coast, which would give the world's fourth-largest oil producer greater capacity to export to Asia and ease its... 


Crude oil pouring from drilling rig well
Alberta in talks with Japan on boosting Canadian crude imports
23rd June 2026 By: Reuters

The government of Alberta, Canada's main oil-producing province, is in talks to export more crude oil to Japan and reduce that country's reliance on the Middle East, the province's Energy Minister... 


Crude oil pouring from drilling rig well
Canada oil outages, bad weather to tighten inventories at key US storage hub 
12th June 2026 By: Reuters

Wet weather and a power outage at a major oil sands producer have contributed to crude export supply tightness out of Western Canada, which could tighten supplies to the key Cushing storage hub in... 


Cenovus oil pipes in Alberta
Cenovus CEO says proposed pipeline to Canada's west coast currently 'unfinanceable'
10th June 2026 By: Reuters

Canadian integrated oil and natural gas company Cenovus Energy CEO Jon McKenzie said Tuesday Alberta's proposed one-million barrel-per-day pipeline to British Columbia's Pacific coast cannot be... 


Prime Minister Mark Carney
Carney climate plan at risk as Canadian oil companies stress need to boost production
18th March 2026 By: Reuters

A key plank of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's climate plan will likely miss its target implementation date, industry sources said, raising new doubts about Canada meeting its environmental... 


Canadian Natural Resources beats 4th quarter profit estimates on higher production
Canadian Natural Resources beats 4th quarter profit estimates on higher production
6th March 2026 By: Reuters

Oil and gas producer Canadian Natural Resources on Thursday posted a better-than-expected profit in the fourth quarter, as executives pointed to the company's ability to weather dramatic swings in... 


Prime Minister Mark Carney
Canada rolls back climate rules in energy deal with Alberta
28th November 2025 By: Reuters

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an agreement with Alberta's premier on Thursday that rolls back certain climate rules to spur investment in energy production, while encouraging... 


1

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







pqt: 0.044s - ct: 0.09s - 181pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now