Cold Lake oil sands

Cold Lake oil sands

The Cold Lake oil sands deposit is one of the largest oil sands deposits in Alberta, South of the Athabasca oil sands, and directly east of the capital Edmonton
Country Canada
Region Alberta and Saskatchewan
Offshore/onshore Onshore, unconventional

The Cold Lake oil sands are a large deposit of oil sands (also known as tar sands) located near Cold Lake, Alberta.[1][2][3][4][5] Cold Lake is east of Alberta's capital, Edmonton, near Alberta's border with Saskatchewan, and a small portion of the Cold Lake field lies in Saskatchewan.

In 2013, a major oil spill occurred, with bitumen seeping through the soil, killing wildlife. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. has been unable to stop an underground oil blowout that has killed numerous animals and contaminated a lake, forest, and muskeg at its operations in Cold Lake, Alta.[6] This is a new kind of spill, with no known way to stop it. It had been going on for several weeks (maybe even months) before it was reported to the public.[7]

In 1980 a plant in Cold Lake was one of just two oil sands plants under construction in Alberta.[4] In 1980 Canada's federal government was considering dropping its assistance in the development of Alberta's oil sand in favor of offshore oil deposits east of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Some of the oil sands in the Cold Lake deposit have a low enough density that they can be extracted through drilling, as opposed to mining.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Canada is consistently the top supplier of oil imports to the United States". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2010-06-21. In 2008, oil sands production represented approximately half of Canada’s total crude oil production. The Athabasca oil sands deposit in northern Alberta is one of largest oil sands deposits in the world. There are also sizable oil sands deposits on Melville Island in the Canadian Arctic, and two smaller deposits in northern Alberta near Cold Lake and Peace River.
  2. ↑ Bruce Biossat (1973-11-23). "An oil-hungry world eyes Alberta's sand". Rome News-Tribune. Retrieved 2010-06-22. Great as is the Athabasca spread, where real scientific exploration began just 60 years ago, it's not the full story. Alberta hold three other oil sands deposits – Wabasca just southwest of Athabasca, Cold Lake to the south, Peace River to the west.
  3. ↑ Tom Cohen (2003-02-23). "Canada's oil sands gain importance in an unstable political climate". The Dispatch. Retrieved 2010-06-22. Stringham said total investment in the oil sands – which include the Athabasca River, Cold Lake and Peace River regions around Fort McMurray, 210 miles northeast of Edmonton – was $11.3 billion from 1996-2001, with another $4.6 billion on new projects under construction and at least $16.6 billion more in potential projects through 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Don't cancel oil sands plants Alberta warns". Montreal Gazette. 1980-11-19. Retrieved 2010-06-22. Ottawa would inflict serious economic losses on all Canada if it cancels development of Alberta's two oil sands plants, Alberta Energy Minister Merv Leitch said yesterday. Leitch said the Alsands and Cold Lake plants could be developed for export production if the oil is not needed for eastern Canadian use.
  5. ↑ O.P. Strausz. "The Chemistry of the Alberta Oil Sand Bitumen" (PDF). University of Alberta. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  6. ↑ ‘Nobody understands’ spills at Alberta oil sands operation. Toronto Star. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  7. ↑ Cold Lake oil spill leaking for months: Documents. O Canada. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  8. ↑ "Premium Petroleum Corp. Increases Lands Position to 11,520 Acres". Premium Petroleum Corp. 2007-09-19. Retrieved 2010-06-22. After 5 or 6 days the well was checked again, only to discover approximately 250 meters (820 feet) head of oil was present in the well bore - evidence that Oil Sands had been encountered, and that it was Flowing Oil Sands. In accordance with Alberta Energy's designation, the project is categorized Oil Sands; located in the southern part of the Cold Lake Oil Sands district.