Claims of improved water use efficiency by Alberta oil sands companies under scrutiny
Posted December 18, 2024 12:59 pm.
Last Updated December 18, 2024 1:02 pm.
Claims made by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) that the province’s oil sands companies were more efficient with their use of freshwater in oil production last year are being contested.
The Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) is arguing the AER’s data on water use performance — included in last week’s report — contradict the regulator’s own claims.
The AER says oil sands companies used 222 billion litres of freshwater to produce 669 million barrels of oil in 2023 — the equivalent of 332 litres of freshwater per barrel.
But the 2022 report, according to the AWA, suggests 208 billion litres of freshwater were used to produce 657 million barrels of oil — 317 litres of freshwater per barrel.
That would be a five per cent increase in freshwater use per barrel of oil, and a two per cent increase in oil sands production.
“If companies were using water more efficiently, as the AER is claiming, we should be seeing freshwater consumption rising less than oil sands production, not more,” said Phillip Meintzer, a conservation specialist at the AWA.
The AER’s 2023 report suggests 9.6 trillion litres of freshwater was allocated for use last year. Of that amount, it says 1.22 trillion litres (13 per cent) was allocated to develop energy resources — with the rest being allocated to agriculture, forestry, and municipalities. The AER says the energy industry used 22 per cent of its water allocation in 2023.
The Alberta government recently announced $2.7 million to help oil and gas companies reduce water use after finding water use has been dropping, and that 80 per cent of water use is recycled.
Those are for three projects, with $1.47 million for water filtration technology from Aqua Pure Technologies and Eximus Environmental Solutions, and $1.2 million for Canadian Natural Resources Limited to develop a chemical to help oil and bitumen flow faster.
The projects combined are $6.1 million in public and private investments.
660 NewsRadio has contacted the AER and the Government of Alberta for comment.
