EDMONTON - Alberta should not approve more oilsands upgraders near Edmonton until the province has a solid plan to limit the huge volume of fresh water they will use and to better manage the pollution they will produce, a new study says.
The Pembina Institute's Oilsands Fever report released on Monday says nine bitumen upgraders are expected to begin operating just northeast of the capital between 2015 and 2020.
Together they will consume 10 times as much water as the City of Edmonton each year and spew 45 megatonnes of greenhouses gases -- the same amount that 10-million vehicles produce, the report says.
"Many people do not yet realize the scale and pace of development that will transform agricultural land and natural areas into an industrial complex about three-quarters the size of Edmonton,'' said Mary Griffiths, the report's lead author.
"The Alberta government has the opportunity to avoid environmental and social problems now being experienced in the Fort McMurray area. Through proactive planning those mistakes can be avoided.''
The report says the upgraders, which transform bitumen into synthetic oil, will together be able to process up to two million barrels per day and require railway lines, roads, pipelines and electrical transmission lines.
The Scotford upgrader operated by Shell Canada is already expanding, the report says.
BA Energy-Value Creation's Heartland plant and North West Upgrading Inc.'s North West upgrader have been approved and are under construction. Applications for five other upgraders have been submitted to the province and one firm has land holdings for another.
Griffiths said that while Alberta Environment is taking some action, the province should not approve new projects until an integrated growth management plan is complete.
The Pembina Institute is calling on the government to require that the upgraders use carbon capture and storage technology.
The report also recommends that the projects be carbon neutral, that the province ensure that the flow of North Saskatchewan River is maintained and that strict limits are put on air pollution.
"The rate of growth must be managed to protect the quality of life, to maximize the benefits to those living in the region and to ensure that social services and infrastructure can keep pace.''
