Oil Sands Industry Energy Requirements And Greenhouse Gas Ghg Emissions 2015 To 2050 Outlook
Abstract
Using a comprehensive interdisciplinary analytical framework, focusing on oil sands operations, energy requirements and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the industry are quantified for the 2015 to 2050 timeframe. This analysis is conducted for a total of six different scenarios, including a business as usual (BAU) scenario, and five alternative scenarios. The results indicate that under all scenarios, GHG emissions levels from the oil sands industry are expected to rise, although to different levels. Cumulative GHG emissions are estimated to reach 4.2 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq.), under the BAU scenario. Alternative production and technology scenarios indicate that cumulative GHG emissions levels can be as much as 31.7% lower than the BAU scenario (constrained growth (CG) scenario), and as much as 44.2% higher than the BAU scenario (decreasing reservoir quality (DRQ) scenario). Going forward, this analysis can be expanded to incorporate the effects of alternative fuel sources.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Murillo, C. A. (2015). Oil Sands Industry Energy Requirements And Greenhouse Gas Ghg Emissions 2015 To 2050 Outlook (Unpublished report). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.