Greenhouse Gas Emissions: In Situ Oil Sands Producers Drive Efficiencies, But Integrated Operations Take a Step Back
While overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from oil sands operations are still rising, some producers are improving their environmental performance, according to the latest available government data analysed by CanOils. Total GHGs from oil sands projects increased 9.3% to 62.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2010, this compared with an estimated 13% .. read more
Oil Sands Crown Sales Fall Out of Favour
Average price per hectare of Alberta oil sands crown land sales has fallen by 11% over the past 4 years. On a regional basis Athabasca fell by an average 31%, Cold Lake 2% and despite a price fall in 2011, Peace River still rose by 1% over the period. This is according to data sourced .. read more
Mexico Opens its doors to Foreign Investment In Oil & Gas as Supply Challenges Mount
After years of tight national control over its oil industry, Mexico’s newly announced bid round marked the first tangible signs of a more relaxed attitude to foreign participation. Steps towards international involvement have been small and come in response to declining production and new challenges in exploration. Reform in government policy has allowed state oil .. read more
Iraq 4th Bidding Round Offers New Opportunities for IOCs
Iraq is one of the few countries where a high volume of reserves remains yet resources have vastly been under exploited. Although Iraq ranks highly as an oil producer, major fields are yet to reach their expected peak production rates and only a few fields are in development. In early 2011, the Iraq Oil Ministry .. read more
Is Algeria Next?
With growing unrest in North Africa/Middle East, the question arises whether Algeria will be next in line for regime change. African Energy’s recent seminar, Algeria’s Energy Future: Industry and Political Risk Outlook, which we attended last week, threw some light on this complex issue. Discussion was centered on the political and economic situation and the .. read more
Oil Sands Producers Cut CO2 Emissions
Canadian oil sands producers cut their carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (CO2e) per barrel produced in 2009, according to an exclusive CanOils analysis of newly-released official data. Integrated producers (companies that both produce and upgrade bitumen) emitted an average of 123 kg of CO2e emissions per barrel of syncrude produced in 2009 against 150 kg in .. read more
Canoils Oil Sands Analysis Reveals Some Big Differences in Project Performance
All oil sands projects are not created equal, with some big differences in project efficiencies and profitability, according to an in-depth analysis based on Canoils oil sands service. However, despite much lower benchmark crude prices and higher royalty rates kicking in for some projects, leading oils sands players are today managing to sustain healthy netbacks .. read more
How long does it take for approval to construct and operate an oil sands project?
667 days on average according to CanOils’ new oil sands tracking feature. The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) is the provincial governing body in charge of regulatory approval for Alberta, where the vast majority of Canadian oil sands reserves lie. CanOils has sourced all regulatory applications in combination with their corresponding approvals, to establish an .. read more
Oil Sands Projects Spring Back to Life
The oil sands sector got off to a flying start in 2010, despite much negative press, and a conventional wisdom that the oil sands are not a viable source of future supply at these price levels. Almost $10 bln worth of new projects were formally applied for so far this year, designed to produce about .. read more