Canadian Tar Sands
- Created by: AmyPhipps2000
- Created on: 09-03-18 13:01
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- Canada Tar Sands
- Background
- Has 73% of all global stocks.
- Three major deposits in Alberta
- Athabasca
- Cold Lake
- Peace River
- Tar sands are extracted by opencast mining.
- Extracted material is crushed and mixed with water, and bitumen is separated before it can be used.
- Tar sands can be pumped out
- High-pressure steam is injected underground to separate the bitumen from the sand.
- Key Players
- Governments
- Alberta regional government and Canada's national government promote tar sands for energy security and economic development
- With the third largest proven reserves of oil, Alberta will try to meet global demand, while ensuring sustainable and responsible extraction.
- Oil Companies
- Local and international companies (e.g. Syncrude/ Suncor, Shell, Exxon, Mobil, and BP.
- Will have a positive impact on economies of Alberta and Canada.
- Environment pressure groups
- Greenpeace called for an end to the 'industrial-isation of indigenous territories, forests and wetlands in Northern Alberta'.
- Local communities
- Benefits
- New jobs (in area where employment is low) and local businesses benefit from trade.
- Costs
- Pollution in Athabasca River, atmospheric toxins and increased incidence of rare cancers and auto-immune diseases.
- Disruption to traditional ways of life.
- Gambling, substance abuse and crime have risen.
- Housing crisis, as thousands of workers have been shipped in.
- Benefits
- Governments
- Costs
- Only viable when the price of crude oil exceeds US$40 a barrel.
- Costs US$10-20 a barrel to extract bitumen from tar sands, compared to US$2 for conventional oil. (2015)
- Energy-intensive. Takes 1 barrel of conventional oil to make 3 barrels of oil from tar sands.
- Takes between 2-5 barrels of water to produce every barrel of oil.
- About 1.8 million tonnes of toxic wastewater are produced every day.
- Produces lots of waste - takes 2 tonnes of mined tar sands to produce one tonne of oil.
- Adds to GHE
- 470 km2 of Alberta's woodlands taiga forest has been removed.
- Only viable when the price of crude oil exceeds US$40 a barrel.
- Benefits
- Provides an alternative source of oil.
- By 2030, it could meet 16% of North America's oil needs.
- Offers energy security for Canada, and the USA.
- 28% of Canada's oil is used in Canada.
- 70% is exported to the USA.
- Serve as fuel stopgap, until more renewable and cleaner energy sources become viable.
- Protection for the environment is in place to ensure mining companies are required to reclaim land disturbed by extraction.
- Earns vital revenues for local and national economies.
- Background
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