Teck Tar Sands Mine Acid Test For Canada On Climate; 260,000 BPD For 40 Years If Approved

There’s a huge oilsands project that’s getting a lot of attention these days — and it’s not the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. A massive new oilsands mine project — widely thought to be the largest Alberta will ever build — is awaiting final federal approval from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet.

The Teck Frontier mine would cover 24,000 hectares — an area twice the size of the City of Vancouver — and would produce 260,000 barrels of bitumen each day at its peak. The proposal includes plans to produce oil starting in 2026, and to continue on producing right through to the 2060s.

Having been under review for several years, the mine’s fate now rests in the hands of the federal government. And as the February deadline for a final decision approaches, pressure is mounting on all sides of the issue. Increasingly, the Frontier mine is being seen as a bet on the long-term economic viability of the oilsands themselves. At the same time, critics say its approval would be in direct opposition to Canada’s climate commitments.

This comes just as a new report out from the Global Gas and Oil Network found that Canada is second only to the United States in planned expansion of the oil and gas industry. “New oil and gas development in Canada between now and 2050 could unlock an additional 25 [gigatonnes of carbon dioxide], more than doubling cumulative emissions from the sector,” the report found. Teck would make up nearly 20 per cent of those additional emissions.

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https://thenarwhal.ca/why-the-proposed-frontier-oilsands-mine-is-a-political-hot-potato/