Canadian Oil Sands Profile

As the world’s conventional oil reserves continue to decline, and demand for oil continues to rise, an ever increasing proportion of new oil production is coming from Canada’s mineable and in‑situ oil sands. With an estimated 1.7 trillion barrels of bitumen located in the Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake regions of Alberta, Canada, the reserve is second only in size to that of Saudi Arabia. Currently, over C$118 billion in investment is either underway or planned within the region.

WorleyParsons has provided professional services to the oil sands industry, both in Canada and worldwide for over 40 years. Our involvement includes the completion of over 3,000 oil sands upgrading and extraction projects, ranging from feasibility studies through to EPCM and construction services for mega‑projects. This depth of experience uniquely positions WorleyParsons to assist its customers to deliver some of the most challenging and technically demanding projects in the oil sands industry. With over 2,000 oil sands specialists, our knowledge covers both surface mineable oil sands and in‑situ production.

WorleyParsons has a well‑earned reputation for the development of innovative solutions and the application of new technologies, to deliver oil sands operations that are both operationally efficient and sustainable. The concept of delivering profitable sustainability is central to WorleyParsons’ EcoNomics™ initiative. Our work on projects to replace natural gas as fuel for steam and power generation, and the application of existing and emerging water treatment technologies to manage cumulative effects on regional watersheds, and to minimize water consumption, are recognized as being industry leading in their approach.