The Oil Sands Story

The oil sands story is one that describes one of the largest oil deposits in the world and identifies its future possibilities. Pioneers had a vision of the commercial applications of this incredible resource. Through various companies, government and scientific organizations, the oil sands have become a reality as a major supplier of oil for Canada.

The Resource - describes how the actual oil sands reserve came to be there.

Mining - BIG machines are required for open pit mining.

Extraction - extracting the bitumen from the oil sands takes place on a grand scale.

In situ - bitumen is extracted from the ground by drilling and the use of steam.

Upgrading - the molecules that make up bitumen are broken up in order to convert it to the final product: synthetic sweet crude oil

The Environment - mining affects the environment and various practices continue to improve and lessen its impact.