Facts and Statistics

The Oil Sands Facts and Statistics page is stocked with the most up-to-date information about the oil sands and related issues. More information about other commodity areas can be found at Energy Facts.

The following facts and statistics are subject to change as new information becomes available. Check back periodically for updates.

Where applicable, external sources have been noted and linked appropriately.

Economics

• Alberta ranks second, after Saudi Arabia, in terms of proven global crude oil reserves.
• In 2008, Alberta’s total oil reserves were 171.8 billion barrels, or about 13% of total global oil reserves (1,342 billion barrels). Alberta accounts for an overwhelming majority (more than 95%) of Canada’s oil reserves.
• The vast majority of Alberta’s proven oil reserves (170.4 billion barrels, or 99%) are found in Alberta’s oil sands.

• In 2008, Alberta exported 1.51 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of crude oil to the U.S., supplying 15% of U.S. crude oil imports, or 8% of U.S. oil demand (EIA).
• In the fiscal year 2008/09, the Alberta government collected $3 billion in royalties from oil sands projects.
• In 2008, estimated oil sands investment reached a record-high $19.2 billion, a 14% increase over the 2007 level.

Geography

• Alberta’s oil sands underlie 140,200 km² (54,132 square miles) of land in the Athabasca, Cold Lake and Peace River areas in northern Alberta. As of March 31, 2009, just 602 km² are disturbed by oil sands mining, about the size of the City of Edmonton, which accounts for 0.3% of the oil sands area, or 0.1% of the total land area of Alberta. Together these oil sands areas contain an estimated 1.7 trillion barrels (initial volume in place) of crude bitumen. About 10% of this volume (170.4 billion barrels) is recoverable using current technology.
• In Alberta, the Crown owns 81% of the province's mineral rights. The remaining 19% are freehold mineral rights owned by the federal government on behalf of First Nations or in National Parks (11%), and by individuals and companies (8%).

• As of June 2009, there were approximately 5,012 oil sands (mineral rights) agreements with the Province totalling approximately 82,542 km² (31,870 square miles). Close to 41% of possible oil sands areas are still available for leasing.

Production

• Of the total 170.4 billion barrels remaining established reserves, about 80% is considered recoverable by in situ methods and 20% by surface mining methods. Oil sands within 75 meters of the surface can be mined. Oil sands below this threshold must be extracted using in situ methods, which do not utilize tailings ponds.
• As of August 2009, there were 91 active oil sands projects in Alberta. Of these, four were producing mining projects; the remaining projects used various in-situ recovery methods.
• Current upgrading capacity in Alberta is approximately 1,209,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of bitumen with synthetic crude oil (SCO) output at approximately 1,037,500 bbl/d.

• In 2008, Alberta’s production of bitumen was 1.3 million bbl/d with surface mining accounting for 55% and in situ for 45%.
• Bitumen production is expected to more than double to 3 million bbl/d by 2018.
• Cumulative production to 2008: 6.4 billion barrels.
• Currently about 59% of bitumen production is sent for upgrading to SCO in the province.
• It takes about two tonnes of oil sand to produce a barrel of oil.

Environment

• In 2007, Alberta became the first jurisdiction in North America to legislate GHG reductions for large industrial facilities. Any facility that emits more than 100,000 tonnes of GHG per year is required to reduce their emissions intensity by 12% from 2003-2005 levels starting in 2007.
• Facilities that fail to meet this target have the option of buying Alberta-based carbon offsets, or paying $15/tonne over reduction targets into the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund. The fund supports projects and technologies aimed at reducing GHG emissions in the province.
• 2007 total GHG emissions in Alberta: 114.4 megatons CO₂-e.
• Oil sands: 26.5 megatons CO₂-e (23.3% of total GHG emissions in Alberta).
• In situ: 8.9 megatons CO₂-e (7.6% of total GHG emissions in Alberta) Source: Alberta Environment.
• In 2007, oil sands facilities were the second largest source of reported GHG emissions in Alberta. The utilities sector was the largest source of GHG emissions in Alberta with 49.9 Mt or 44% of total reported GHG emissions in the province in 2007.
• In 2008, companies in all industries made 6.5 million tonnes of actual reductions through operational changes and practices – including better use and reuse of energy – and investing in offsets created by other Alberta projects. This is equivalent to taking 1.3 million vehicles off the road per year.
• An additional $82.3 million was paid into the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund in 2008, which is now worth $122.4 million. The fund will be used to support emissions reductions technology development.
• Oil sands make up about 5% of Canada’s overall greenhouse gas emissions and approximately 0.1% of the world’s emissions.
• GHG emissions per barrel of oil from the oil sands have been reduced by an average of 38% since 1990. Some facilities have achieved reductions as high as 45%.

Land Management and Reclamation

• By law, industry must post financial security equivalent to the cost of reclamation before beginning oil sands activity to the Environmental Protection Security Fund.
• As of March 2008, the fund held over $875 million. The money is returned when reclamation certificates are issued.
• In March 2008, the Alberta government issued its first reclamation certificate to Syncrude Canada Ltd. for the 104 ha parcel of land known as Gateway Hill, approximately 35 km north of Fort McMurray.
• To date, about 530 km² of land have been disturbed by oil sands mining activity (approximately 0.1% of Alberta’s boreal forest of 381,000 km²).
• Currently, over 65 km² of disturbed lands are in the process of being reclaimed. Reclamation certificates will not be issued until monitoring through time demonstrates that these particular lands meet the Alberta Environment criteria for return to self-sustaining ecosystems.
• The Government of Alberta and private industry have each invested more than $1 billion in oil sands research. Combined efforts and investments of both the public and private sectors will continue to improve the efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint of oil sands recovery and upgrading.

Carbon Capture and Storage

• CCS is a technology that can be used in a number of industries to reduce CO₂ emissions, including those produced by oil sands bitumen upgrading.
• Alberta's $2 billion investment in CCS was annouced in 2008. Four projects have signed letters of intent with the Province, two specific to the oil sands, one in the electricity sector, and one in situ coal gasification project.
• Project proponents must now enter grant agreements with the Province.
• These projects are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by five million tonnes annually beginning in 2015. That is the equivalent of taking one million vehicles, or one third of all registered vehicles in Alberta, off Alberta roads.
• More information is available from the main CCS page.

Graphic courtesy of Alberta Geological Survey.

Water Usage

• The amount of water permitted to be withdrawn from the Athabasca River for all oil sands projects – existing and future – is equivalent to less than 3% of its average annual flow. During periods of low river flow, Alberta Environment limits water consumption to 1.3% of annual average flow. At times, this can mean that industrial users will be restricted to less than half of their normal requirement given current approved development. Source: Alberta Environment.
• Up to 90% of the water used can be recycled depending on the maturity of the facility and type of extraction. Industry is working on making production more efficient so fresh water use is further reduced.
• In mining operations, between 2.2 and 5 barrels of river water are withdrawn to produce each barrel of SCO.
• In SAGD operations, up to half a barrel of fresh water is required to produce each barrel of bitumen.

Employment

• In 2008, about 145,000 people were directly employed in the mining, oil and gas extraction sector, including the oil sands. The energy sector accounted for 28% of Alberta’s GDP in 2008.