ENERGY IN BIG LAKES COUNTY ANOTHER BOOM IS COMING! GO BIGLAKESCOUNTY.CA A COST EFFECTIVE GATEWAY A PRODUCTIVE AREA ALBERTA S TOP EXPORTS

Transcription

1 A COST EFFECTIVE GATEWAY A PRODUCTIVE AREA ALBERTA S TOP EXPORTS A KNOWLEDGELE WORKFORCE DIVERSIFIED AND INNOVATIVE ENERGY IN BIG LAKES COUNTY GO BIGLAKESCOUNTY.CA ANOTHER BOOM IS COMING! Since 2015, the economic activity generated from the energy industry has declined across all of Alberta. Whatever stock market charts and government reports show for the price of a barrel of oil there is an under-current of activity in the Big Lakes area that reflects investments and future planning for the energy industry... LEARN MORE â

2 Big Lakes County is the gateway to the Peace River Oil Sands, one of the three oil sand areas in Alberta. The south-east portion of the Peace River Oil Sands can be accessed through the Seal Lake Connector Road, which starts on Highway 749 north out of High Prairie. â BY TUCHODI FROM FORT ST. JOHN, BC, CANADA - THE PEACE RIVER VALLEY NEAR THE HALFWAY RIVER, CC BY-SA 2.0, COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=

3 A COST EFFECTIVE GATEWAY BY THE INTERIOR - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 3.0, The Seal Lake Connector Road provides a shorter route in/out of the Peace Oil Sands for goods and services coming from Edmonton. The shorter distance translates into fuel savings, lower mileage charges, more time on site working. Alberta s oil sands are the third largest oil reserves in the world, after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. According to the Government of Alberta, the oil sands are reported to contain 1.63 trillion barrels of bitumen in place with over 168 billion barrels that can be produced under current economics and commercial technologies. Alberta s largest deposit is the Athabasca oil sands deposit with an estimated 1.3 trillion barrels of bitumen deposits (79.8 percent), followed by Cold Lake s 200 billion barrels (12.3 percent) and Peace River s 130 billion barrels (8.0 percent).

4 A PRODUCTIVE AREA IN ENERGY Big Lakes County is split into two PSAC areas 1. The northern region of the county falls within PSAC area 7, known as Northwestern Alberta, and the southern region of Big Lakes County falls within PSAC area 5, known as Central Alberta NATURAL GAS The PSAC areas 5 and 7 are the third most and fourth most (respectively) productive areas for natural gas well production, contributing 9.0% and 4.8% (respectively) to total Alberta natural gas well production in CONVENTIONAL CRUDE OIL The PSAC areas 5 and 7 are the second most and third most (respectively) productive areas for conventional crude oil production, contributing 21.8% and 18.0% (respectively) to total Alberta conventional crude oil production in The Petroleum Services Association of Canada divided Alberta into seven geographic regions based on the predominate type of geological interest to the oil and gas industry. These regions, called PSAC areas, are frequently used when analyzing energy data. 3 5 is forecasted to be a major contributor to production until 2026 along with 2. ENERGY QUICK-FACTS At its peak activity (2006 & 2011) Big Lakes was home to 160 ACTIVE OIL & GAS WELLS

5 ALBERTA S TOP EXPORTS Alberta comes first in exports of energy products in Canada. In 2016, the province represented approximately 64.2 percent of total Canadian energy exports, with a value of $52.4 billion. Out of Alberta s top 25 exported products for 2016, two were from the energy sector extracted oil & gas products and refined petroleum products. TLE: ALBERTA S ENERGY EXPORTS EXPORT PRODUCT VALUE (BILLIONS OF CAD) Extracted Oil & Gas Products $ Refined Petroleum Products $2.1 4 Source: Trade Data Online, 2016 RANK IN ALBERTA EXPORTS Top international export markets for Alberta s extracted oil and gas products include the United States of America, China, Mexico, Australia, and Japan million cubic metres NATURAL GAS production 1.6 million cubic metres OIL production 2.7 billion cubic metres NATURAL GAS reserves

6 Plains Mid-stream High Prairie Fractionation Plant (above right) One of the reasons that Plains Mid-Stream Canada (PMC) has been successful in Big Lakes County is because of its skilled and loyal staff. The High Prairie Plant employs a team of 13 individuals who run the day-to-day operations with great care. According to Lauren Engineers and Constructors, the company that designed the High Prairie facility, the plant was designed to receive and process 700 m³/d trucked in crude NGL, and to fractionate commercial grade C3, C4, and C5+ products. It has six (6) truck out stations for 700m³/d, and oil pipeline condensate and butane injection and blending capability. There is a twelve (12) rail car unloading facility for condensate and butane products at a rate of 1,000 m³/d. The project had a Total Installed Cost (TIC), over several phases, of $47 million. A WORKFORCE THAT KNOWS OIL & GAS As an important gateway to the Peace River Oil Sands and an area with its own oil and gas production, Big Lakes County is a draw for engineers, tradespeople, and experienced labour. Engineers make up the highest percentage of Big Lakes educated workforce (27.48%). Trades and transport account for 30.7% of labour by occupation*. Big Lakes is home to experienced workers who run offices, haul product, operate plants, service oil wells, and so much more. Some of these people did not have to leave the county for their education, receiving their certificates from Northern Lakes College, which is headquartered in Big Lakes County and offers over 20 energy related certifications. *Source: Statistics Canada, April 2011

7 DIVERSIFIED AND INNOVATIVE Over a decade ago, a team of Albertan engineers in the oil and gas sector saw great untapped opportunity in Big Lakes County. It turns out that The Swan Hills area of Big Lakes County has significant deep coal resources ideal for in-situ coal gasification, which is clean energy conversion largely underdeveloped until now. The Swan Hills has long been an area for oilfields, and the town of Swan Hills is an important services hub for the energy industry. Swan Hills Synfuels, privately held and based in Calgary, Alberta, and operating in Big Lakes County, is focused on the development of clean energy conversion facilities which convert low-cost energy supplies into clean high-value energy products. The company has an innovative, fresh approach to enhancing the value of Alberta s abundant energy resources. The team is driven by environmental consciousness and the desire to develop a new and important clean energy industry for Alberta and beyond. Founded in 2005, Swan Hills Synfuels, was established to do both gas manufacturing (converting low cost feedstock into gas, using gasification technologies) and gas conversion (converting gas into higher value products). In 2006, the company focused exclusively on deep in-situ coal gasification as its key gas manufacturing enterprise, and developed and operated the world s deepest in-situ coal gasification facility near Swan Hills, Alberta from In 2011 Swan Hills Synfuels began investigating the feasibility of establishing a methanol-based gas conversion value chain in Western Canada.

8 OUT BIG LAKES COUNTY ALBERTA Big Lakes County is one of 64 rural municipal districts in Alberta, situated 365 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, the province s capital city. Total Area: 13, sq. km. Total population in this area: 16,832 52% Indigenous (First Nations or Métis) A small, but diverse immigrant population Edmonton Hamlets: Enilda, Joussard, Faust, Kinuso, and Grouard Major Parks: Hilliard s Bay Provincial Park and Winagami Lake Provincial Park Major Lakes: Lesser Slave Lake, Winagami Lake, and Snipe Lake Municipal Tax Rates (in millions): Property Tax Rates (in millions): Residential/Farmland: 4.25» Residential/Farmland: Non-Residential: 14.5» Non-Residential: GO BIGLAKESCOUNTY.CA Our visionary, coordinated, and ambitious economic development leadership is available to provide you with more information and to facilitate your success. Please contact Big Lakes County Economic Development Authority at ecdev@biglakescounty.ca. For up-to-date statistics on Big Lakes County, access the following resources: The Government of Alberta Regional Dashboard: regionaldashboard.alberta.ca/region/big-lakes Townfolio s interactive data profile on Big Lakes County: townfolio.co/ab/big-lakes