Oil Sands: Diversifying to Meet the World’s Energy Needs

There is currently no single technology solution to meet the world’s diverse energy requirements. More carbon-intense energy sources such as gas and coal power continue to play a role in meeting the world’s energy demand, and renewable energy sources such as wind, solar power and biomass are playing an increasingly significant role in the global energy mix. Companies such as GE continue to invest across the spectrum of these technologies to advance capabilities in meeting the world’s energy demands with cleaner and more efficient energy options.

In the oil sands, GE is applying innovation and technology to improve operational efficiencies and reduce the environmental footprint of many of the processes associated with oil extraction and upgrading processes. A three-year, $15 million partnership with the Alberta Water Research Institute is currently underway. The partnership utilizes GE’s water technology including advanced membranes, thermal evaporation systems, mobile filtration units and water treatment chemistry to develop ways of reducing overall water use in the oil sands. GE is also partnering with the University of Alberta and Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (AITF) on a $4 million CO₂ capture project supported by the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation. This team is leveraging cutting-edge research in nanotechnology to tackle two of the most pressing environmental challenges facing the oil sands—reduction of CO₂ emissions associated with the extraction and upgrading process and treatment of produced water generated during the oil recovery. Ultimately, the successful commercialization of the research and widespread adoption could reduce CO₂ emissions from the production of synthetic crude oil from the oil sands by up to 25%.

In September 2010, GE and The Government of Alberta signed an agreement that will establish new technology centers in Alberta and facilitate collaboration with the province in areas of shared expertise. The GE Innovation Centre is a cross-business centre that will enable collaboration on solutions to the energy, water and infrastructure challenges facing Alberta and the world. Located within the GE Innovation Center is the GE Global Heavy Oil Centre of Excellence which will provide and leverage engineering resources to develop solutions to the challenges of producing and upgrading heavy oil.