Upgrader

Production of synthetic crude oil that is processed from Alberta’s oil sands reached record highs at the end of 2020 after touching on two year lows just four months earlier. However, these highs could be undermined and sink to four-year lows for a short period of time this spring with what appears to be a heavier than usual slate of maintenance work on three of Alberta’s four upgraders, the immense processing units that produce synthetic crude oil from bitumen. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at the upgraders, the timing of maintenance, and what this might mean for synthetic crude oil production and exports.

Hardisty is the main export hub for Western Canadian crude travelling to market in Eastern Canada or the U.S. That role will expand when (and if) the TransCanada Keystone XL and Energy East pipeline projects are completed. With 3.5 MMb/d of mostly heavy crude passing through, you might expect Hardisty terminals to require significant volumes of diluent. But in fact only one outbound diluent pipeline serves Hardisty region gathering systems. Today we explain why Hardisty requires less diluent.

The US Energy Information Administration ranks Alberta’s bitumen oil sands reserves second or third to those of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. However, evidence from the field and new research indicate that Western Canada’s oil reserves are possibly far larger and could rival or exceed those of the Saudis or the Venezuelans. Today contributor Mike Priaro begins a two part series describing Western Canada’s vast bitumen resources.

Rising Uinta crude production will run into a refining capacity ceiling unless new routes to market are developed. The distinctive black and yellow waxy crudes produced in Utah are largely refined locally in Salt Lake City refineries because of the challenges transporting them. However new refineries, rail load terminals and even a heated pipeline are all being planned to increase takeaway capacity to absorb growing production. Today we continue our analysis of Uinta Basin crudes.