Syncrude’s Stage 3 expansion starts up

abarrelfull wrote on 28 Jan 2013 07:37
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05/08/2006

Canadian Oil Sands Trust (the “Trust” or “Canadian Oil Sands”) today announced that Syncrude initiated bitumen feed into its new Coker 8-3 on May 6, enabling all Stage 3 units to come on-line and begin production. Volumes are expected to ramp up and production may be variable in the beginning as we work towards establishing stable rates. Production for the month of May will be reported as per the Trust’s usual practice on its website

“It is a momentous day for Syncrude and its employees who have laboured for over four years in the construction of the Stage 3 expansion,” said Marcel Coutu, Canadian Oil Sands’ President and Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of Syncrude Canada. “The joint venture owners are delighted to have achieved this milestone and appreciate the efforts of the Syncrude employees and contractors who have made this mega project a reality. Syncrude looks forward to entering a new era of volume production, bolstering its operating platform.”

The Stage 3 expansion is designed to increase productive capacity to average 350,000 barrels per day, or 124,000 barrels per day net to the Trust. The capital cost for start-up of the expansion is estimated at $8.4 billion with additional post-startup costs of $150 million. Net to Canadian Oil Sands, the total cost for Stage 3 is estimated at $3.0 billion. The Stage 3 investment also includes an improvement to product quality for the entire production stream to SyncrudeTM Sweet Premium, pre-built capacity for a future debottlenecking growth stage, environmental mitigation measures and improvement and modernization of base plant operations.

Expansion included:

• Mildred Lake Heavy Oil Upgrader
• Aurora North Mines Oil Sands Project

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• Syncrude’s Stage 3 expansion starts up

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