ENABLING PARTIAL UPGRADING IN ALBERTA: A REVIEW OF THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Abstract

One of the ways that Alberta can help alleviate its worsening bottleneck in oilexport pipelines is by partially upgrading oil sands bitumen before shipping it to market. Partial upgrading is the process of upgrading raw bitumen into a higher-value, lower-viscosity crude oil, resulting in an oil that can flow more easily through pipelines but stopping short of a fully upgraded synthetic crude oil product. In-province partial upgrading of bitumen can deliver important benefits to Alberta’s economy. Compared to raw bitumen, partially upgraded bitumen is (1) less costly to refine and therefore commands a higher price; (2) transported directly via pipeline with reduced (or no) diluting agents, avoiding the need to purchase costly condensate for blending; and (3) less viscous and thus, per barrel of bitumen, requires less pipeline capacity compared to raw bitumen, which ships with a high volume of blended condensate. Because of these factors, partial upgrading would allow the province to ship more bitumen via existing pipelines and at the lower tolls per barrel of bitumen extracted.

Keywords

• regulation
• alberta energy regulator
• energy resources law
• partial upgrading
• alberta oil and gas