In Situ Recovery

Around 80% of the oil from Alberta’s oil sands is buried too deep to mine and can be recovered only by drilling wells. 

Around 80% of the oil from Alberta’s oil sands is buried too deep to mine and can be recovered only by drilling wells. That’s where “in situ” recovery comes in. Companies must apply and receive our approval before starting an in situ operation.

In Situ Resources

In situ recovery involves drilling wells to extract an extra-heavy type of oil called bitumen. Some bitumen is too viscous (i.e., dense) to naturally flow to the well. Heat or fluids are added to the reservoir to reduce the bitumen's viscosity, enabling it to flow to the well.

Recovery Technology

Most in situ bitumen recovery uses steam to heat the bitumen in the reservoir (known as thermal in situ recovery). Sometimes, to further reduce the bitumen’s viscosity and increase recovery, small amounts of solvent (e.g., propane) are injected along with the steam.

There are two main thermal in situ oil sands technologies:

  • steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD)
  • cyclic steam stimulation (CSS)

In SAGD, two horizontal wells are drilled about five metres apart, one over the other. Steam is injected into the top well, heating the bitumen until it is mobile enough to flow down to the bottom well from which it is produced.

In CSS, steam is injected into a vertical or horizontal well with enough pressure to fracture the surrounding rock, allowing the rapid movement of the steam into the reservoir. The heated bitumen has lower viscosity, allowing it to flow more easily into the well.

Applicable Legislation

Throughout the life of an in situ project, companies must comply with the following acts. 

Protecting Albertans and the Environment

Companies must ensure that their in situ operations comply with their approval conditions under EPEA, which supports and promotes the protection, enhancement, and wise use of the environment, including air, water, soil, wetlands, fish, and wildlife.

Managing Water Use

We believe thermal in situ water management should be efficient and sustainable. Directive 081: Water Disposal Limits and Reporting Requirements for Thermal In Situ Oil Sands Schemes sets out several water management requirements.

In situ operations must recycle as much water as possible; on average, companies recycle 90% of the water they use.

Monthly and Annual Water Use Information

Since 2012, we have published monthly and annual water use information in our Thermal In Situ Water Publication. This interactive dashboard allows users to filter and analyze information.

Water Use Performance Report

As part of our Industry Performance Program, our Water Use Performance Report shows how energy companies use water for in situ recovery and other development activities.

Managing Reservoir Containment

The rock above and around the reservoir where the steam is injected is known as the caprock. For in situ recovery, the caprock acts as a barrier to ensure that fluids are safely contained and not unintentionally wasted. Companies may not inject steam at a pressure higher than the caprock can withstand. The caprock also protects the environment from unintentional releases from the reservoir.

We assess in situ recovery on a project-by-project basis. When a company applies for approval for a thermal in situ oil sands project, they must show us that they have

  • assessed the caprock and determined that it will prevent steam and reservoir fluids from escaping; and
  • examined legacy wellbores in the area to ensure that thermal in situ recovery is possible and resources will not accidentally escape to the surface through the legacy wells.

We then conduct a detailed assessment of the company’s application. We look at

  • the integrity of the surrounding geology;
  • geomechanics (understand how the rocks, pressures, and temperatures will interact); and
  • the engineering behind the project.

Directives and Guidance Documents for In Situ Operations

  • Directive 023: Oil Sands Project Applications
  • Directive 042: Measurement, Accounting, and Reporting Plan (MARP) Requirements for Thermal Bitumen Schemes
  • Directive 054: Performance Reporting and Surveillance of In Situ Oil Sands Schemes
  • Directive 065: Resources Applications for Oil and Gas Reservoirs
  • Directive 071: Emergency Preparedness and Response
  • Directive 081: Water Disposal Limits and Reporting Requirements for Thermal In Situ Oil Sands Schemes
  • Directive 087: Well Integrity Management
  • ID 2001-03: Sulphur Recovery Guidelines for the Province of Alberta

Compliance and Enforcement

We conduct regular inspections and audits to ensure companies are following our requirements. If a company is not complying with our requirements, we will take appropriate compliance and enforcement actions and publish our findings on the Compliance Dashboard.

Related Information

Companies with in situ oil sands schemes must submit performance presentations and data to us, which we share publicly.

We also report on oil sands production in our statistical report, ST53: Alberta In Situ Oil Sands Production Summary, which is updated monthly.