Imperial Oil announced plans to build a new research facility in southeast Calgary. The new research centre will continue Imperial’s progress in developing next-generation resource recovery technologies for safely and efficiently developing oil sands resources.
“Our new facility will house lab-scale experiments and specialized facilities to help expand knowledge, contribute to improving existing technologies, and continue our work on the safest and most efficient next-generation technologies for developing Canada’s vast oil sands resource,” said Rick Gallant, vice-president of oil sands development and research at Imperial.
Imperial’s Calgary Research Centre currently occupies space within the University of Calgary’s Research Park, and was responsible for developing the two key in situ oil-sands recovery technologies currently in use – cyclic steam-stimulation and steam-assisted gravity drainage, or SAGD. Imperial is also pursuing other technologies that would virtually eliminate the use of water in oil-sands mining and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions associated with bitumen production processes.
Imperial’s new research facility, like the company’s new headquarters campus nearby, is expected to meet LEED Gold building standards of energy efficiency and environmental stewardship. Full occupancy of the new centre is planned for 2017.