Cogeneration and potential for emission reductions in oil sands operations

Oil sands operations are playing an increasingly important role in North American oil supplies. Extracting and processing bitumen from oil sands is an energy intensive process that requires both electricity and steam which are usually sourced through fossil fuel conversions. This energy intensity (and associated CO2 emissions) as well as the rapid expansion of extraction operations has led to concerns about the management of this resource. We investigate the competitiveness of two options to supply electricity and steam for oil sands operations in terms of cost and CO2 emissions. This paper presents preliminary results and highlights further areas of investigation.