Boosting shipments of Alberta oilsands bitumen easier said than done
Posted Feb 5, 2013 10:36 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Even though pipeline infrastructure is already in place, getting additional Alberta black gold to eastern Canada requires more than just flipping a switch.
New Brunswick’s Premier David Alward says he would like to see more oilsands bitumen processed at the Irving refinery.
Trans Canada Corporation and Enbridge are both looking are re-tooling some of their existing pipeline network to make that happen.
However the Senior Policy Analyst with the Pembina Institute says it will likely be years before we see oilsands bitumen refined out on the east coast.
Nathan Lempers says even though infrastructure is in place, those projects would still be put under the same scrutiny as new pipeline proposals.
He says regulatory and environmental hearings would take a couple of years to complete and would only be scheduled after cost estimates are crunched, commercial support is firmed up and applications submitted.
Lempers says the industry should make the most of the delay by instituting the highest possible operating standards and improving lines of communication with supporters and opponents.
