Video: Oil Sands Production and Reclamation at Syncrude in Alberta, Canada
Jane Van Ryan
Posted November 23, 2009
In August, I wrote about my experience traveling to Alberta, Canada, with reporters and bloggers to see how oil sands are produced and converted into crude oil.
We learned that there are two different processes utilized to produce oil from the sands--surface mining and in-situ, where the sands are heated with steam and pumped to the surface.
Below is a video from the Syncrude facility we visited. You'll be able to see how surface mining and extensive land reclamation efforts happen post production, and how a form of oil called bitumen is processed into 350,000 barrels of oil per day.
Canadian oil is a reliable and plentiful strategic resource for meeting our nation's growing energy demand and making the United States more energy secure. It makes sense to tap into this energy-rich resource.
Tomorrow, I'll show you a second video about the in-situ oil sands extraction method.