We're all concerned about the environment
IOSA members are improving the efficiency of existing in situ technologies and developing new approaches that will make our environmental footprint even smaller. Innovations we are testing in the field now could go a considerable distance toward reducing the energy intensity of our recovery processes. Our goal is a carbon footprint that is equal to or less than many imported crudes.
Here are some of the ways we're reducing our environmental footprint:
Air
Our in situ projects meet stringent ambient air quality standards.
Land
Low impact seismic, directional drilling and scalable modular construction all help to reduce surface disturbance. With a smaller footprint we reduce our impact on wildlife and biodiversity. In situ projects don't have tailings ponds.
Water
We use undrinkable water in our recovery process and recycle more than 90 percent of the water used.
Greenhouse gas emissions
Canadian in situ oil sands represent under 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and we are looking for ways to minimize our share of those emissions. Research underway into new production processes, such as solvent assisted steam recovery, could cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing natural gas combustion and the energy intensity of our bitumen recovery processes.