A technician performs ground water testing near the Long Lake facility.
Responsibly Developing Canada's Oil Sands
Canada is home to the world’s third largest hydrocarbon basin – the oil sands. This abundant, secure and long-term resource offers significant energy potential for Canadians and the world market. As much as 1.7 trillion barrels of oil is estimated to be contained in the oil sands, of which approximately 169 billion barrels can be recovered using today’s technology.
The energy industry is focused on responsibly developing the oil sands. Today, growing production is supported by technological advances which are improving energy efficiency and reducing our impact on air, water and land.
Why Oil Sands?
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Huge opportunity. The oil sands are vast and represent a vital energy source that a growing economy and consumers demand. Oil sands development currently generates about 112,000 jobs across Canada, a number that is expected to jump to more than 500,000 over the next 25 years.
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Technology advancement. Research and advances in technological innovation allow us to generate the oil that consumers need in a more energy efficient way.
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Collaborating to protect the environment. Industry works together – from building roads to sharing new technologies – to minimize our cumulative environmental footprint. Nexen is also a founding member of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), whose mandate is to accelerate the pace of improving the environmental performance of the oil sands industry.
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Political & regulatory oversight. Canada has a strong environmental and regulatory regime, ensuring that development of the resource occurs responsibly.
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Community investment. From investing in education, providing business and employment opportunities, and making investments that help build strong communities – the oil sands are making a positive difference.