| A significant amount of energy is required to transform oil locked up in Alberta's oil sands into a commercial product, synthetic crude oil. The current energy source of choice is natural gas. Natural gas is relatively clean, affordable in the context of today's crude oil prices, and is a material the petroleum industry has a great deal of experience and competence in handling safely and efficiently. Although natural gas is currently the industry's main energy source, a question that needs to be addressed is, "Are supplies adequate to meet the oil sand industry's future needs?";The sustainability of using natural gas to fuel projected oil sands industry growth is examined in this study. Potential opportunities to reduce the industry's dependence on natural gas are explored that consider environmental, economic and social factors for each alternative. Coal, asphaltene, petroleum coke, wind power and nuclear energy are evaluated. |
