The Oil Sands Industry in Canada and Natural Gas Supply

A massive amount of energy is used to transform Alberta Canada\'s oil sands into a commercial product, synthetic crude oil. Currently, the energy source of choice is natural gas. Natural gas is relatively clean, affordable in the context of today\'s crude oil prices and is a material the industry has a great deal of experience and competence in handling safely and efficiently. Although natural gas is currently the industry\'s main energy source, a question that needs to be addressed is, \"Are supplies adequate to meet the oil sand industry\'s future needs?\" §§The sustainability of using natural gas to fuel projected oil sands industry growth is examined in this work. Opportunities to reduce the industry\'s dependence on natural gas are explored considering environmental, economic and social factors for each alternative. Coal, asphaltene, petroleum coke, wind power and nuclear energy are evaluated.§§This work will be of interest to technical as well as lay persons seeking to understand the fundamentals and characteristics of the oil sands industry in Canada and the impact the industry is having on natural gas supplies. A massive amount of energy is used to transform Alberta Canada's oil sands into a commercial product, synthetic crude oil. Currently, the energy source of choice is natural gas. Natural gas is relatively clean, affordable in the context of today's crude oil prices and is a material the industry has a great deal of experience and competence in handling safely and efficiently. Although natural gas is currently the industry's main energy source, a question that needs to be addressed is, "Are supplies adequate to meet the oil sand industry's future needs?" The sustainability of using natural gas to fuel projected oil sands industry growth is examined in this work. Opportunities to reduce the industry's dependence on natural gas are explored considering environmental, economic and social factors for each alternative. Coal, asphaltene, petroleum coke, wind power and nuclear energy are evaluated. This work will be of interest to technical as well as lay persons seeking to understand the fundamentals and characteristics of the oil sands industry in Canada and the impact the industry is having on natural gas supplies.