Air Quality & Greenhouse Gases
We are working to monitor, manage and reduce the production of air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions from our operations.
At our Surmont oil sands project, we use steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) technology, which uses natural gas as a fuel source to create steam, which is then injected into the reservoir to liquify the heavy bitumen. This process produces air pollutants as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
We are working to reduce these emissions through our ongoing efforts to lower the steam-oil ratio and improve fuel-gas efficiency in our operations. For example, flow control devices, a ground-breaking technology that supports even steam distribution in the reservoir, may improve the steam-oil ratio by up to 10 percent. This means we’re producing more oil for the same amount of steam, lowering our production of GHGs per barrel of oil produced, while also reducing our operational costs.
Our Surmont operations team has also installed a continuous monitoring sensor to measure particulate matter and to ensure air quality.
Climate Change
We recognize that human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels, is contributing to increased concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere that can lead to adverse changes in global climate. We continue to manage GHG emissions in our operations.