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Regulatory

The following section provides links to the various documents related to Laricina’s regulatory application process for oil sands development.

Current Development Applications


Archived Applications

  • Saleski Pilot
  • Germain Commercial Demonstration Project

Saleski Phase 1

In December 2010, Laricina submitted the regulatory application for Saleski Phase 1, the first commercial phase development at Saleski. Saleski Phase 1 will expand the existing 1,800-barrel-per-day Pilot by 10,700 barrels per day for a combined12,500-barrel-per-day bitumen recovery scheme. Laricina holds a 60 percent ownership in Saleski and is the project operator.

The use of a SAGD-based recovery scheme at Saleski will be a first for the carbonates. The Saleski Pilot has been designed to provide Laricina with the geological framework and technology necessary for oil recovery within the Grosmont Formation. Saleski Phase 1 builds on this knowledge and expands the project to a commercial development.

Saleski Phase 1 will utilize Laricina’s proprietary solvent-cyclic SAGD or SC-SAGD process. The addition of solvents will help to lower the steam requirements while maintaining bitumen production rates.

The proposed Saleski Phase 1 project will be located to the southwest of the Pilot plant site and a number of the components constructed and used for the Pilot will be used for Saleski Phase 1 (e.g. roads, fuel gas pipelines, source and disposal wells and associated pipelines, and construction and operations camp).

The new and incremental components of Saleski Phase 1 consist of:

  • A central processing facility (CPF)
  • Six well pads (20 well pairs stacked per pad)
  • Access corridors to well pad sites that include roads, surface pipelines and power lines
  • Observation wells (based on 2 to 6 per pad)

Production activities are scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2014 with full production rates achieved 12 to 18 months after the start-up.

The original applications are available as interactive PDFs and may be downloaded for offline viewing and printing:

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Copies of the applications are available for viewing at the following locations:

  • Wabasca Public Library
    Wabasca, Alberta
    Telephone: 780-891-2203
  • Energy Resources Conservation Board
    Information Services, Calgary Office
    Main Floor, 640- 5 Avenue S.W.
    Calgary, Alberta T2P 3G4

Website: www.ercb.ca

  • Register of Environmental Assessment Information
    Alberta Environment
    111 Twin Atria Building
    4999 – 98 Avenue
    Edmonton, Alberta
    T6B 2X3

Germain Expansion

On November 14, 2011 Laricina submitted a regulatory application to Alberta Environment and Water (AENV) and Alberta Energy Resources and Conservation Board (ERCB) for a 150,000 barrel-per-day expansion to its already approved 5,000 barrel-per-day Germain Commercial Demonstration Project (Phase 1). The total proposed capacity of the Germain Project of 155,000 barrels-per-day of bitumen will provide sustained production over a 30-year period from the Grand Rapids Formation.

The proposed Germain Project Expansion (Phase 2-4) will build on the current 5,000 barrel-per-day Phase 1 currently being constructed in the west Athabasca region of northern Alberta. Laricina is targeting early 2013 to start-up steam injection at Phase 1.

Phase 2 will consist of a 30,000 barrel-per-day facility that will be integrated with the initial 5,000 barrel-per-day Phase 1; Phases 3 and 4 each will consist of 60,000 barrel-per-day facilities. In each phase, Laricina will use a combination of thermal and solvent-assisted processes to recover bitumen from the Grand Rapids oil sands.

The Germain Project Expansion will consist of the following components:

  • Central processing facility
  • Associated infrastructure such as office buildings, storage sheds
  • Soil storage areas, borrow pits
  • Equipment lay down and staging area
  • Permanent (operations) and temporary (construction) camp facilities
  • Electrical substation
  • Well pads with SAGD well pairs
  • Observation wells
  • Groundwater monitoring wells
  • Water source and disposal wells
  • Gathering corridors including roads, gathering lines and power lines to the pads
  • Wildlife crossings

A First Nations Consultation Plan along with a plan language Project Description was submitted in December 2010 to AENV and delivered to the Bigstone Cree First Nations Consultation Office and the Peerless-Trout First Nation. Laricina subsequently filed with AENV the proposed Terms of Reference for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which was finalized May, 2011.

Pending regulatory approvals, the initial construction of Phase 2 will commence in 2013 with first steam anticipated in late 2015. The third and fourth phases of 60,000 barrels-per-day each are expected to begin operations in 2018 and 2021, respectively.

The related documents for the Germain Project Expansion are available in PDF format and may be downloaded for offline viewing and printing:

GERMAIN PROJECT EXPANSION
Submitted to: Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board and Alberta Environment

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Where Energy
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