Energy

County of Grande Prairie
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Canada is the worlds fourth largest crude oil exporter.

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Natural Resources GDP (A 6.5% increase between 2020 and 2021)

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Countries Import Canadian Energy

Responsible and sustainable development is crucial to global environmental stewardship, positive change and global governance. That future is here, in Alberta.

"For BP, Canada is one of the better places to invest in the world. It is a stable economy; it has a stable political system. It has pragmatic regulations that allow us to be both safe and efficient. It has great people…just great talent locally."

- Murray Auchincloss, Upstream CFO, BP

Alberta is working hard to create a sustainable, low carbon future for the world through environmental stewardship, positive social change and global governance leadership

Alberta’s corporate tax rate is 8% – the lowest in the country and competitive across North America.
Alberta tax overview | Alberta.ca
Alberta’s Petrochemical Incentive Program provides grants worth up to 12% of eligible capital costs once operational.
Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program | Alberta.ca
Canada scores in the top 20 of the World Bank’s Political Stability Index.
Alberta Economy Indicators at a Glance
Alberta Carbon Trunk Line is the world’s largest C02 pipeline – sequestering 14.6 million tonnes of C02 per year.
Carbon capture, utilization and storage | Alberta.ca
World’s largest net-zero hydrogen energy complex being built in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland.
Roadmap | Alberta.ca
$440M in stimulus funding over four years through Tech Innovation Emissions Reduction (TIER) program to reduce emissions.
Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction Regulation | Alberta.ca

In 2021, Grande Prairie County No 1. had 32.6 billion m³ of natural gas reserves, making it the 6th highest in Alberta​

and the 5th fastest growing municipality with:​

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$7.2 billion in petrochemical projects are planned, underway or have recently been completed in Alberta

Alberta’s natural gas is cost competitive and trades at a discount compared to other suppliers, providing an affordable and reliable feedstock for petrochemical plants.

Alberta produces over 60% of Canadian Natural gas

The global hydrogen industry could be worth US$2.5 to $11 trillion annually by 2050

Unique Applied R&D

Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) is a research and innovation hub in the city of Grande Prairie. With faculty, staff and student researchers active in a range of specialty areas—including renewable energy, sustainable systems, data analytics, community enhancement, and human health and wellness—NWP has the expertise to support community initiatives and address persistent industry problems.

Northwestern Polytechnic is home to a clean technology innovation laboratory that aims to develop clean power options in collaboration with industry partners. The laboratory is equipped with a 500W EFOY-Pro methanol fuel cell and a complete photovoltaic array or and a full photovoltaic array.

Additional proposed Northwestern Polytechnic projects include the design, development and testing of a compact mobile solar power plant. In addition, there are options for small off-highway electric vehicles. For more information on Northwestern Polytechnic’s research initiatives, news and opportunities, visit nwpolytech.ca/research.

Building on its strengths, The County of Grande Prairie is beginning to attract investment in the clean tech industry. With projects such as Aquatera’s landfill, Cielo’s planned biodiesel plant, combined with the City of Grande Prairie’s investment in solar electric transit and combined heat and power installation, we continue to use our expertise in energy that to attract clean tech industries and diversification opportunities. 

Partnering with Alberta’s oil and gas industry in energy research and monitoring

InnoTech aims and works toward becoming the leading consultants for the energy industry when seeking innovative solutions. The Energy services division primarily serves the upstream (production), midstream (production fluids gathering/ distribution/processing), and downstream (upgrading and refinery) production segments of the oil and gas industry.

InnoTech helps the upstream sector develop new recovery technologies and improves the efficiency of existing recovery processes. InnoTech serves midstream operations through in-situ production fluid treatment, material reliability, and asset integrity optimization for oil sand operations. Downstream production of bitumen and heavy oil is supported through partial upgrading and new material development from asphaltenes. 

The division specializes in tackling one-off, customized projects that solve sophisticated and complex problems; and typically, can’t be handled by commercial services or university labs. Our research capabilities include experimentation and modelling of in-situ recovery processes, bitumen extraction and processing, flow assurance and material evaluation, and advanced metal manufacturing. We’re proud of our excellent working relationships.

We have the specialized and well-equipped facilities required to do oil and gas research, data collection, and monitoring.3D Printing Facilities, Flow Loop Facilities, High Pressure & Temperature Facilities, and Materials Analysis & Testing Laboratories.

InnoTech provides services to the energy industry to research field technology and processes for heavy oil, in-situ sand water, tight oil and gas, tailings monitoring, and hydrocarbon manufacturing.

In 2022, Alberta exported C$ 204B , making it the 2nd largest exporter out of the 13 exporters in Canada.

In 2022 the top exports of Alberta were

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Petroleum oils, oils from bituminous minerals
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Natural gas in gaseous state
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Propane, liquefied
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Light petroleum distillates nes
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Ethylene polymers and ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers

Investment Opportunities Include:

A number of petrochemical processes have been identified as having a high potential for the Grande Prairie region including methanol, urea/ammonia and formaldehyde. The Greenview Industrial Gateway, 30 minutes south of the city, has been identified for large-scale industrial processes such as gas field or large-scale straddle plant, sulfur processing, hydrogen and helium production. This development creates the potential for additional spin-off opportunities within The County of Grande Prairie.

Grande Prairie is in the centre of two major liquid rich natural gas sand plays, the Montney and Duvernay, two of the most significant plays in North America. The output from the Montney has doubled since 2012 and now comprises a third of Western Canada’s natural gas production. It is projected to make up more than half of the country’s output by 2040. The Duvernay extends under 130,000 square kilometres (km²) of Alberta, or 20% of the province. Importantly, the Duvernay Shale is rich in NGLs, including condensate, which is often mixed with bitumen from the Alberta oil sands so the oil can be thinned and shipped.

Alberta

Hydrogen

Alberta is home to 70% of the marketable natural gas in Canada. Alongside leading technical expertise and innovative decarbonization technologies like CCUS, the province offers an opportunity to supply low carbon fuels like hydrogen to markets internationally.

Renewable Energy

Alberta is Canada’s leading jurisdiction for renewable investment. Rystad predicts over 80% of renewable investment will take place in Alberta over the next five years. Investors are already making Alberta their renewable energy home. Over $2B has been invested since July 2019.

Cleanteach innovation for global decarbonization

Canada’s oil and gas industry, led by Alberta, is the largest contributor to cleantech spending in Canada at 75% of the approximately $1.4 billion spent annually. The entrepreneurial spirit in Alberta makes it a global hub for cleantech investment and Calgary is ranked as one of the world’s top 15 cleantech ecosystems.

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage

Alberta’s technical expertise, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) success and geology provide an ideal setting for the development of carbon capture, purification and development opportunities for carbon storage in Alberta.

Oil and Gas including methane abatement

As one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers, investments into lower carbon fuels and lower carbon energy options can be found here in Alberta. Did you know ninety per cent of major oil producers in Canada – largely in Alberta – have committed to net-zero by 2050?

Natural Gas Refining LNG Crude oil

Natural Gas Refining LNG crude oil

Crude Oil

  • In 2020, Alberta produced 3.79 million barrels per day (MMb/d) of crude oil (including condensate and pentanes plus) (Figure 1). Alberta is the largest producer of crude oil in Canada, accounting for 80% of total Canadian production as of 2020.
  • Over three-quarters of Alberta’s crude oil production comes from the oil sands in northern Alberta. In 2020, Alberta had 8 operating oil sands mines, and 29 thermal in situ oil sands operations. In 2020, Alberta produced 2.99 MMb/d of oil sands raw bitumen. From that amount, 1.09 MMb/d of synthetic crude oil (SCO) was produced. SCO can be transformed into refined petroleum products or in some cases used to dilute raw bitumen for transport.

Refined Petroleum Products (RPPs)

  • Alberta has five refineries: Strathcona (Imperial Oil)Edmonton (Suncor), and Scotford (Shell) in the Edmonton area; Sturgeon (NWR) in Redwater; and Lloydminster (Cenovus) in Lloydminster. Combined, these refineries have a total oil processing capacity of 542.4 Mb/d. This amounts to 28.5% of Canada’s total refining capacity, the largest share of any province in Canada.
  • As of 1 June 2020, the Sturgeon Refinery began processing bitumen through a fee-for-service tolling mechanism. Prior to this, it was only processing SCO. The Alberta government’s Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission has a 30-year tolling arrangement to provide 75% of the required bitumen blend feedstock to the Sturgeon Refinery (under Alberta’s Bitumen Royalty in Kind policy).
  • Alberta’s refineries process only western Canadian crude oil, including a large proportion of blended bitumen and SCO. In 2020, 68% of the oil processed in Alberta refineries was upgraded bitumen including pentanes plus, with the remaining 32% being crude oil and non-upgraded bitumen.
  • Alberta’s refinery utilization was 94% in 2020.

Natural Gas/Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs)

  • In 2020, Alberta’s natural gas production averaged 9.72 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) (Figure 1). Alberta’s gas production represented 63% of total Canadian natural gas production in 2020.
  • At year-end 2020, Alberta’s total potential for recoverable, sales-quality natural gas is estimated to be 563 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), with 380 Tcf remaining after production is subtracted.
  • Alberta’s natural gas liquids (NGL) production in 2020 was about 416.8 Mb/d, not including condensate and pentanes plus, which are included with crude oil.
  • Some natural gas liquids (NGL) are fractionated into individual components (for example, ethane, propane, butane, and condensate) at field plants or fractionators in Alberta.
  • Alberta has nearly 500 active gas processing field plants, 13 fractionators, and 8 straddle plants.

Areas of Focus

Cleantech

Alberta is leveraging its cleantech expertise and leadership in carbon capture and CCUS to produce new low-carbon petrochemical products.

  • CO2 CAPTURE, AGGREGATION AND SEQUESTRATION
  • HYDROGEN TRANSFER, HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS AND HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
  • BLUE METHANOL PRODUCTION
Infrastructure

Alberta has modern, world-scale plants and the largest natural gas infrastructure network in North America.

  • WORLD-CLASS VALUE-ADDED PROCESSING
  • EXTENSIVE NATURAL GAS DELIVERY SYSTEM
  • PROPYLENE DERIVATIVES PLANTS
  • ETHANE CRACKING COMPLEXES
Access to Markets

Alberta’s efficient transportation systems allow access across North American and Asian markets.

  • CP AND CN: TRANSCONTINENTAL RAIL CARRIERS WITH INTERMODAL TERMINALS
  • RAIL ACCESS TO CANADA’S TWO LARGEST PORTS



Abundant Natural Gas and Feedstock

Alberta’s abundant supplies of natural gas provide petrochemical plants with low-cost feedstocks to develop a range of products.

  • NATURAL GAS AND NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS FRACTIONATION
  • PROPYLENE AND POLYPROPYLENE
  • ETHYLENE AND POLYETHYLENE
  • METHANE AND METHANOL
Leading Research Institutes

The Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program (APIP) is a key part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan and the Natural Gas Vision and Strategy to turn the province into a top global petrochemical producer. It provides grants to companies to attract investment in existing or expanded market-driven petrochemical facilities.

GPRC is home to a clean technology innovation laboratory that aims to develop clean power options in collaboration with industry partners. The laboratory is equipped with a 500W EFOY-Pro methanol fuel cell and a complete photovoltaic array.

Flow-Through Shares (FTS) allow foreign investors to transfer eligible exploration and development expenses to their beneficial owners, which can then be applied for tax credits for these expenditures. This feature generates attractive prices for FTS, enabling investors involved in exploration, drilling, production, refining or pipeline operation to fund its activities more easily.

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) is an vital pathway for Alberta to decarbonize its heavy industries, like oil and gas, petrochemicals, and cement manufacturing, to meet 2030 to 2050 emissions reduction targets and net-zero ambitions. CCUS can enable a low-emission hydrogen industry using Alberta’s massive natural gas reserves.  We can build on our resources, research, and Alberta Innovates’ extensive experience to accelerate the development of next-generation technologies and the broad commercial deployment of CCUS.

Partnering with Alberta’s oil and gas industry in energy research and monitoring

InnoTech aims and works toward becoming the leading consultants for the energy industry when they are seeking innovative solutions. The Energy services division primarily serves the upstream (production), midstream (production fluids gathering/ distribution/processing), and downstream (upgrading and refinery) production segments of the oil and gas industry.  

The Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (METC) helps exploration companies raise equity funds by passing on tax credits to investors of eligible expenses. The 15% non-refundable tax credit can be applied against investors’ federal income tax that would otherwise be payable in the taxation year in which the investment was made.

Building on energy expertise to become a leader in cleantech

Alberta’s oil and gas industry is world-renowned and integral to the economy. As the world explores a low-emission future, the oil and gas industry is poised to be a leader in the development and integration of clean technologies and renewable energy.  

From 2008-2015, global clean technology exports increased by roughly 4%, and reached nearly $1.2 trillion annually. It is projected that this industry will rise to $2.5 trillion by 2022, and Alberta has the capacity to serve this global market.

Innovation is already happening in Alberta. Cleantech and renewable energy companies in Alberta continue to grow, with 155 cleantech firms operating in the province in 2020.

Not only are these companies servicing the Alberta ecosystem, but they also generate interest from international companies and investors. Of the 20 companies inducted into the Norway-based Techstars Energy accelerator, 4 were from Alberta. In 2019, Calgary, the province’s largest City was ranked as one of the world’s top 15 clean technology start-up ecosystems by Startup Genome.

Although most cleantech companies in Alberta are focused on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in oil and gas, these companies are also expanding into industries such as agriculture and food processing. For example, Alberta-based Radicle (formerly Carbon Credit Solutions) won the 2019 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program and has created a software platform to measure, qualify and aggregate greenhouse gas emissions across multiple sectors.

Alberta is well-positioned to be a leader in cleantech and renewables for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because it is a province built on energy, with the expertise and capacity to continue developing all of its energy assets. Rystad Energy has predicted that by 2025, Alberta will host 83% of Canada’s utility-scale wind and solar capacity. In addition, the province has committed to stopping burning coal within 10 years, which will allow renewable energy capacity expansion.

When you think about Alberta’s energy industry, don’t just think of oil and gas. This region has a lot to offer in energy and other industries.

Access to Research and Innovation

Northwestern Polytechnic
  • Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) Formerly Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) is a research and innovation hub in the community of Grande Prairie. With faculty, staff and student researchers active in a range of specialty areas—including renewable energy, sustainable systems, data analytics, community enhancement, and human health and wellness—NWP has the expertise to support community initiatives and address persistent industry problems.
  • Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) is home to a clean technology innovation laboratory that develops clean power options in collaboration with industry partners. The laboratory is equipped with a 500W EFOY-Pro methanol fuel cell and a complete photovoltaic array.
  • Additional proposed NWP projects include the design, development and testing of a compact mobile solar power plant. In addition, they include options for small off-highway electric vehicles.
  • For more information on NWP’s research initiatives, news and opportunities, visit nwpolytech.ca/research.
Building on our strengths

The County of Grande Prairie is attracting investment in the clean tech industry. With projects such as Aquatera’s landfill, Cielo’s planned biodiesel plant, combined with the City’s investment in solar electric transit and combined heat and power installation, we continue to use our expertise in energy to attract clean tech industries and diversification opportunities. 

Alberta's Advantage

  1. Alberta’s clear regulatory framework strengthens its competitiveness. The Government of Alberta and Invest Alberta offer a regulatory roadmap and support to navigate investments into the sector.
  2. With the petrochemical industry clustering around central Alberta, it’s not difficult to find talent within these communities.
  3. Alberta has the most engineers per capita in Canada with a large labour pool specializing in petroleum and chemical engineering. Research and development costs in Canada are very cost effective, as salaries for highly skilled labour are lower than in other industrialized countries.
  4. Alberta’s extensive rail network allows market access across North America and Asian markets. Coupled with lucrative incentives and increased market access, the province’s expertise and competitive business environment have given the industry momentum.
  5. Innovators are leveraging the province’s leadership in carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) to create low-carbon products and position Alberta as a global supplier of clean, responsibly sourced petrochemical products.
  6. Alberta is home to two of the world’s 18 largest projects. The newest, the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line, sequesters 14.6 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Captured carbon is used to produce blue hydrogen and enhanced oil recovery.
  7. Advantages- Access to Resources, Availability of land, Huges Lake, Synergies with Local industries, and a workforce that is highly skilled.
  8. Global industry could be worth US$2.5 to $11 trillion annually by 2050.
  9. Canada’s abundance of natural resources, global market access and commitment to emissions-reducing technology make it a prime investment location for forward-thinking energy, minerals and metals, and forest sector companies. Closely linked to Canada’s cleantech industry, the natural resources sector is constantly evolving to meet the need for cleaner energy and mining solutions. This is done while supplying world demand.
  10. Alberta is home to the country’s largest refining and petrochemical manufacturing cluster in Canada. It produces more than 60% of the country’s natural gas.
  11. Alberta’s well-established petrochemical industry capitalizes on low-cost feedstocks and an efficient transportation system to meet global demand for petrochemical products.
  12. Alberta’s competitive advantage comes from low tax rates, lucrative incentives and business-friendly policies.
  13. Alberta is home to a young, diverse and highly educated workforce, with expertise in the petrochemicals sector.

Our Region

Petrochemical industry

Several of petrochemical process have been identified as having a high potential for the Grande Prairie region, including; methanol, urea/ammonia and formaldehyde.​

2000 Acres Heavy Industrial Development

In Alberta, there are 2000 acres of heavy industrial development.

Located in the center of two major liquid-rich, natural-gas sand plays, the Montney and Duvernay​

CN provides full capacity rail, pipeline and utility infrastructure

The County of Grande Prairie has access to the major pipelines that transport Alberta’s natural gas to other provinces and the US​

Grow Alberta’s petrochemical sector by more than $30 billion by 2030

According to the Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association, there’s an opportunity to grow Alberta’s petrochemical sector by more than $30 billion by 2030.

Projected to produce over half of Canada’s natural gas by 2040

Major geothermal potential

University of Alberta researchers have discovered major geothermal potential along Alberta’s foothills, with Greenview presenting a hotspot of potential development.

Canada Market Access

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Leading Exporter of softwood lumber

Oil and Gas in Canada

Canada is the world’s third largest crude oil exporter and sixth largest natural gas exporter. The Canadian oil and gas industry is characterized by unparalleled market access, well-integrated coast-to-coast transportation infrastructure and an innovative approach to clean resource development. From 2000 to 2018, the emission intensity of Canada’s oil sands operations dropped by 33%, notably through technological and efficiency improvements.

Market Access

Canada is the largest supplier of crude oil and refined petroleum products to the United States. It has active infrastructure development for delivering crude oil and natural gas supplies to the Asian and European markets. Shipping times to Asia from Canada’s west coast LNG projects are about ten days shorter than from the U.S. Gulf Coast. This gives energy production investors a significant cost advantage. 

With an integrated system of coast-to-coast rail lines, an 840,000 km-long pipeline system and several expansion proposals, Canadian oil, gas and overall energy production, is well connected to domestic and export markets.

Location

With full capacity rail provided by CN, two major pipelines and facilities infrastructure. The County of Grande Prairie, provides 12,973 acres of Industrial development, situated directly on the Montney, Alberta Deep and Duvernay East Shale Basin. The County of Grande Prairie Industrial area will be a potential source of petrochemical energy in Western Canada.

  • The development will deliver a world-class, fully integrated eco-industrial site, which will bring economic enhancement on a vast scale.
  • Full rail capacity by CN Rail makes for an efficient transportation route to the Greenview Industrial Gateway

Advantage

  • TC Energy Main Distribution Line and Alliance Pipeline
  • Located in the center of two major, liquid rich, natural-gas sand plays, the Montney and Duvernay, two of the most significant plays in North America
  • Carbon Capture and Sequestration Opportunities
  • Expedited Municipal Development Approvals
  • Incentives for Development
  • Process Water for Operations
  • CN Rail Full Industrial Service
  • Atco Electric

Investment Opportunites

Natural Gas

Technology innovation

Pesticide manufacturing

Cleaning Compounds

Lubricating oils & Greases

Dyes & coatings