Energy and how it is captured and consumed is barely viable in tar sands production. While the amount of oil in places such as the tar sands in Alberta or the Orinoco Belt in Venezuela may have deposits of similar size to the reserves of countries such as Saudi Arabia or Iraq, the return of new energy after expending energy in production is not even close. In Iraq, the process of using one barrel of oil generates 100 new barrels. In the tar sands, estimates of 3 to 1 and even as low as 1.5 to 1 have been made. Offsetting the net energy loss would require minimally 25-30 tar sands facilities for one Saudi plant operating at the same capacity.
It's open season on natural gas pipeline
CONFERENCE: State's intentions don't faze competing ventures.
Petroleum News
Published: May 12th, 2008 11:07 PM
The two North Slope producers looking to build a natural gas pipeline in Alaska plan to move forward even if the state awards a license to a competing project, according to a senior executive.
Oil thirst means a moderate U.S.
Don't worry about American election, says ex-premier
Sheila Pratt, Edmonton Journal
Published: Monday, May 19, 2008
Alberta has little to fear from the tough talk in the U.S. on climate change heading into the fall presidential election, says former premier Peter Lougheed.
"Even though it's an election year, and that makes it more difficult, it's going to be challenging for the United States to avoid having a moderate position," Lougheed said in an interview.
Mackenzie faces new setback
Governmental panel postpones release of environmental report till 2009
NORVAL SCOTT // May 16, 2008
CALGARY -- The Mackenzie gas pipeline has been slapped with a new significant regulatory setback, delaying the $16.2-billion project by at least a year and highlighting the increasing roadblocks facing companies seeking to develop major oil and gas projects.
Cameco President Says Sask Not Quite Ready For Nuclear Plant
By Brynn Harris
Updated May 16, 2008 - 6:13am
The President of a prominent Saskatchewan uranium mining company does not think the province is ready for a nuclear power plant.
Recently, a leaked SaskPower report named Lake Diefenbaker as an ideal spot for one.
Cameco President and CEO, Jerry Grandey, says Saskatchewan does not have enough people to support the electrical output of a nuclear power plant.
May 15, 2008 8:28:00 PM MST
North Dakota judge denies attempt to halt Keystone oil pipeline
BISMARCK, N.D. _ A judge has refused to stop a crude-oil pipeline that TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP) wants to build in eastern North Dakota, saying state regulators considered adequate safety precautions in approving its route.
A project spokesman said construction should begin next week.
Prepare for gas pipeline hurdles, consultant warns
SLOW GOING: Similar Canadian project has been tied up for years.
The Associated Press
Published: April 15th, 2008 11:39 PM
Last Modified: April 15th, 2008 11:49 PM
CALGARY, Alberta -- Anyone who thinks an Alaska natural gas pipeline will see fewer hurdles than the long-stagnant Mackenzie Gas Project is sadly mistaken, says the man who used to run the Northwest Territories' natural resources department.
KEARL PERMIT DENIED
Imperial project delayed as it awaits Cabinet action
Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post, With Files From Carrie Tait
Published: Thursday, May 15, 2008
CALGARY - Imperial Oil Ltd.'s $8-billion Kearl oil-sands project faces a major delay after a federal court judge yesterday turned down its request to have a key permit reinstated.
Provinces wrangle over nuclear plant
Jon Harding, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
CALGARY -- Alberta and Saskatchewan are competing to house Western Canada's first commercial nuclear power plant, Saskatchewan's Natural Resources Minister Bill Boyd confirmed Tuesday.
Boyd said his Saskatchewan Party government has held "early" talks with Bruce Power LP, the private nuclear operator from Western Ontario.
Hot issue = cool debate
A report that suggests Lake Diefenbaker might be a good location for a nuclear power plant does not mean such a facility will ever be built. It does, however, kickstart a welcome debate.
The Leader-Post
Published: Friday, May 09, 2008
Nuclear energy, we hope, is finally on the table for discussion in Saskatchewan.
It's not just about 500 dead ducks
May 11, 2008 04:30 AM
Gillian Steward
Who could have known that a flock of ducks on its way home for the summer was fated to become a powerful symbol of all that is wrong with Alberta's most vital industrial project – the tar sands?
As much of the world knows by now, about 500 of them died when they set down on a lake of oily goo, usually referred to by the petroleum industry and the government as a tailing pond – a much more neutral phrase than 22 square kilometres of toxic sludge produced when oil is extracted from the sandy soil.
