Opportunities

The Government of Alberta is active in managing our energy future while safeguarding the environment for future generations. The path to sustainable prosperity allows the government to demonstrate leadership on the world stage. Several key initiatives form the basis for long-term opportunities in our province’s energy sector.

Alberta`s Value-Add Strategy – Oil sands to petrochemicals

The Government of Alberta has taken steps to develop a vision for increased production of value-add products such as petroleum products and petrochemicals based on the province's oil sands.  Moving oil sands up the value chain and supporting world-class integrated hydrocarbon processing enhances the economic benefits of the resource to Albertans.

The benefits of oil sands development are felt throughout the economy, and would be further enhanced by maximizing the resource in the province:

  • Currently, one in 15 jobs in Alberta is directly related to the energy industry.
  • Oil sands activities contribute to substantial job creation in sectors such as manufacturing and retail as well as increasing access to high-tech, knowledge-based jobs.
  • Royalties from the oil sands help fund many programs and services including Alberta’s infrastructure, health and education systems, increasing our quality of life.

To maximize value from the oil sands, the creation of a highly integrated hydrocarbon processing cluster will be encouraged in Alberta. A cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field, in this case, hydrocarbon processing

The operational benefits of an integrated hydrocarbon processing cluster include:

  • improved synergies – reducing environmental footprint of heavy industry
  • better managed development with the sharing of infrastructure, transportation and utilities between facilities
  • reduced capital and operational costs
  • a stable labour force over the long term
  • improved overall rate of return
  • increased R&D activity
  • higher levels of productivity

Hydrocarbon upgrading

Alberta is focused on developing an integrated energy strategy that looks beyond extraction and maximizing the potential of our resources to enhance the growth of Alberta's refining and petrochemical industries. This strategy is hydrocarbon upgrading.

For more opportunities, see:

  • Hydrocarbon Upgrading Task Force (HUTF): Formed in 2004 by the Government of Alberta and industry to develop opportunities for world-scale integrated refining and petrochemical plant clusters to convert oil sands bitumen into finished products for world markets. The HUTF commissions studies to develop business cases for value-added projects as well as advise government on measures to facilitate development.  
  • Bitumen Royalty-In-Kind 
  • Heavy Oil Alberta Project (HOAP): HOAP promotes Alberta's expertise in heavy oil and oil sands technologies, products and services internationally. An online guidebook, Alberta's Heavy Oil and Oil Sands, highlights Alberta's experiences in heavy oil and oil sands development. The guidebook also includes the first consolidated and comprehensive directory of heavy oil and oil sands companies, including producers, service and supply companies, industry associations, academic institutions and research organizations.
  • Land-use Framework: The Land-use Framework was developed by the Government of Alberta in December of 2008 to improve land-use decision making in Alberta and support sustainable resource development in Alberta.
  • The National Buyer Seller Forum : The annual National Buyer/Seller Forum is a joint government/industry supply chain development initiative. Energy producers, manufacturers and suppliers from across Canada and the globe meet at the forum to generate new business and share best practices.
  • Innovative Canadian Oil Sands Manufacturing Opportunities (iCOSMO): A web portal by Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters that matches manufacturers with Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in Alberta.

Alberta Energy

  • Provincial Energy Strategy: Alberta’s Provincial Energy Strategy is a long-term action plan for Alberta to achieve clean energy production, wise energy use, and sustained economic prosperity. The strategy addresses present issues and offers a roadmap to future energy development. The strategy recognizes that environmentally responsible and innovative hydrocarbon development remains the cornerstone of Alberta’s economy and North American energy supply. It also recognizes the importance of energy conservation, efficiency, and developing renewable energy sources as expanding pieces of the provincial energy portfolio.

  • Carbon Capture and Storage: In July 2008, the Government of Alberta announced a $2-billion fund to kick-start three steel-in-the-ground Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects. These projects are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to five million tonnes annually by 2015. The Government of Alberta plans to allocate $745 million of this fund towards the Shell Quest project, which will capture and store 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually from Shell's Scotford upgrader, beginning in 2015. Another $436 million will go to the TransAlta Corporation for Project Pioneer at the Keephills 3 plant west of Edmonton. Beginning in 2015, one million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be captured annually from the Keephills plant and used for enhanced oil recovery.

    Carbon Capture and Storage projects are being pursued around the world and the technology is fully supported by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Energy Agency and the International Panel on Climate Change.

  • Innovative Energy Technologies Program: Through the Alberta Department of Energy, the Innovative Technologies Royalty Program leverages industry funding to pilot and demonstrate new energy technologies in Alberta.

Alberta Environment

  • Alberta’s Oil Sands: Resourceful, Responsible: This booklet provides a snapshot of actions taken in Alberta to ensure the oil sands are developed in a responsible way. It provides the Government of Alberta's vision for environmental protection during oil sands development, as well as Alberta’s vision for developing one of the world’s largest deposits of oil.

  • Environmental Management: With growth also comes the responsibility to ensure the high quality of Alberta’s environment for future generations.

Government of Alberta - Multi-departmental initiatives

  • Responsible Actions: A Plan for Alberta’s Oil Sands: In February 2009, the Government of Alberta released its comprehensive 20-year strategic plan for Alberta’s oil sands that aims to reduce the environmental footprint, optimize economic growth, and increase the quality of life in Alberta’s oil sands regions.

  • Hydrocarbon Upgrading Demonstration Program (HUDP): The HUDP supports selected joint Alberta government-industry initiatives to develop and demonstrate advanced technologies for upgrading Alberta's coal, bitumen and heavy oil resources to high value products. The first phase of the HUDP, completed in mid-2006, identified an initial set of technologies with the best potential for further development and demonstration. The second phase of the plan is to develop and demonstrate next generation “clean” upgrading technologies as they apply to Alberta hydrocarbons such as oil sands, coal, and petroleum coke.

  • Oil Sands Secretariat (OSS) : The Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat was created by the Government of Alberta in the summer of 2007 to address rapid growth issues in the oil sands regions of Alberta. The Secretariat collaborates with ministries, industry, communities and stakeholders to address the social, infrastructure, environmental and economic impacts of oil sands development. It acts as a main point of contact for inquiries from the public, industry and stakeholders on the government’s plan for managing growth in the oil sands.

To learn more about opportunities in this sector, see Hydrocarbon upgrading.

Date Updated:
RDP-2040