About the Oil Sands
Located in Western Canada, Alberta is a province rich with a beautiful environment, abundant natural resources, a strong economy and a stable political system. Oil sands are located in three major areas in northeast Alberta underlying 140,200 square kilometres.
In this section
About the Region
Located in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Fort McMurray is a thriving and vibrant community nestled in the boreal forest at the confluence of the Clearwater and Athabasca rivers. Read more
Development
The Alberta government is ensuring that development in the oil sands region is done in a responsible manner, through regulations, plans, and frameworks. Read more
About the Resource
Alberta has proven oil reserves of 171.3 billion barrels -- the third-largest proven crude oil reserve in the world, and enough oil to meet Canada’s current oil demand for almost 400 years. Read more
Economic Benefits
The Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI) estimates capital investment at $218 billion over the next 25 years. What does this mean for Albertans? Canadians? Read more
How Oil is Used
There are thousands of products made using oil -- global energy demand forecasts it will increase by 40 per cent by 2030. Read more
Pipeline Information
Pipelines operate all day, every day with the help of powerful pumps, additives that move the oil with less resistance, and the laws of physics. Find out what makes pipelines the safest method to transport petroleum products-and how they're getting safer all the time.Read more
Partnerships & Industry Links
We work with others to reduce environmental impacts of energy development. This includes post-secondary institutions, industry and funding organizations. Read more
Environmental impact
The Oil Sands Information Portal is a new, one-window, source about the environmental impacts of oil sands development. It includes an interactive map and downloadable datasets.
