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Updated June 2023

 

Alberta has over 27 000 oil facilities and over 18 000 gas plants and gas facilities.

In 2022, this included

  • 8 operating oil sands mines,
  • 26 thermal in situ oil sands operations,
  • 5 active bitumen upgraders,
  • 5 refineries,
  • 3 coal processing plants, and
  • 5 producing coal mines.

Oil Sands Facilities

Mine Projects

Table S8.9 shows the companies and project names of the eight operating oil sands mines in Alberta. Learn more in the crude bitumen section.

the company and project names of the eight operating oil sands mines in Alberta
In Situ Schemes

Table S8.10 provides the companies and project names of in situ operations in Alberta.

the company and project names of in situ operations in Alberta
Upgraders

Table S8.11 lists the average upgraded bitumen production in Alberta in 2022 by company.

the average upgraded bitumen production in Alberta in 2022 by company.

Oil Refineries

There are 18 refineries in Canada, and 5 are in Alberta. These refineries have a combined refining capacity of 0.30 million cubic metres per day  (106 m3/d) or 1.9 million barrels per day (106 bbl/d). In 2022, the U.S. combined refining capacity was about 2.8 106 m3/d (18.4 106 bbl/d). The U.S. has the highest number of complex refineries in the world, meaning they are capable of processing heavy sour crudes.

Alberta’s oil reaches markets in Ontario and Quebec through Enbridge Inc.’s Mainline system. Western producers are limited to using rail to reach refineries in the Atlantic provinces, which is disadvantageous because rail is more expensive, and Alberta’s oil competes with imports shipped from overseas.

In 2022, Alberta’s refineries had an estimated total combined throughput of 85.9 thousand (103) m3/d (540.6 103 bbl/d). Together, these refineries processed

  • 52.9 103 m3/d (332.9 103 bbl/d) of upgraded bitumen,
  • 9.7 103 m3/d (61.0 103 bbl/d) of nonupgraded bitumen,
  • 19.3 103 m3/d (121.4 103 bbl/d) of crude oil, and
  • 4.0 103 m3/d (25.2 103 bbl/d) of pentanes plus.

Table S8.12 lists the 2022 throughput for Alberta’s refineries. .

the 2022 throughput for Alberta’s refineries

Alberta’s refinery utilization rate was nearly 100 per cent in 2022. The refinery utilization rate indicates how efficiently the refining complex operates, so the higher the utilization rate, the higher the production of refined products.

Natural Gas and Natural Gas Liquids Processing Plants

Alberta has

  • about 500 active gas processing plants,
  • 12 fractionation plants (separating out a mix of natural gas liquids [NGLs] into its different components), and
  • 6 straddle plants.

Figure S8.6 shows the different paths and processes that NGLs may take from the gas pools to the markets.

the different paths and processes that NGLs may take from the gas pools to the markets

LNG Canada's Export Facility

LNG Canada began construction on its terminal in Kitimat, B.C., in 2019 to export liquified natural gas (LNG) overseas. The expected start date is 2025.

This terminal will be the first in western Canada to export LNG overseas, enhancing Alberta’s ability to access international markets. The first phase is expected to export up to 14 million tonnes per year (about 1.8 billion cubic feet per day); the proposed second phase will double export capacity to 28 million tonnes per year (about 3.7 billion cubic feet per day).

Fractionation and Straddle Plants

Table S8.13 lists the fractionation plants in Alberta, and Table S8.14 the straddle plants.

the fractionation plants in Alberta
the straddle plants

Learn More