Production underway at Exxon Mobil’s Kearl oil sands expansion project

IRVING, Texas -- Exxon Mobil Corp. announced Tuesday that production at its Kearl oil sands expansion project in Alberta, Canada, started ahead of schedule and is expected to double overall capacity to 220,000 bpd of bitumen.

The expansion project is ultimately expected to reach 110,000 bpd. Kearl will access approximately 4.6 Bbbl of resource for more than 40 years.

“The ahead-of-schedule startup of the Kearl expansion demonstrates Exxon Mobil’s project management expertise and highlights our ability to safely and successfully execute complex projects,” said Neil Duffin, president of Exxon Mobil Development Company. “The improved understanding gained from the initial Kearl development phase was applied to the expansion project to produce this outstanding result.”

The expansion project consists of three additional trains that use proprietary paraffinic froth treatment technology to produce bitumen. The process reduces energy requirements and environmental impacts by not requiring an on-site upgrader, which avoided a multi-billion dollar capital investment and associated operating expenses. Energy needs are further reduced through the installation of energy-saving cogeneration facilities.

The project produces blended bitumen with about the same lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions as the average crude oil refined in the U.S. Other environmental innovations include on-site water storage to reduce water use, progressive land and tailings reclamation, and a state-of-the-art waterfowl deterrent system.

The Kearl project is located about 75 km northeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta, and is operated by Imperial Oil Limited, an Exxon Mobil affiliate.