Project Profile
Value: US$16.1 billion
Location: 110 km north of Fort McMurray, Athabasca region, Canada
Reserves: 2.8 billion barrels
Production: 74,000 bpd of bitumen in 2021 (rising to more than 277,000 bpd by 2030)
Start-up Year: -
The Frontier project is a proposed truck-and-shovel oil sands mine located about 110 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, in the Athabasca oil sands region of northeastern Alberta. Teck owns 100% of the project and is the operator. The Frontier project application was submitted to regulators in November 2011. Subject to permitting, production of partially deasphalted bitumen is anticipated to begin in late 2021 from the main development area and be supplemented by bitumen mined from the Equinox pit in the south development area. Production is anticipated to be more than 74,000 barrels per day of bitumen in 2021, rising to more than 277,000 barrels per day by 2030. 2.8 billion barrels are expected to be produced over the entire life of the project.
The Frontier project will make use of best practices for sustainable and responsible development, including technology for faster treatment of tailings, barrier walls to control seepage, off-stream water storage capacity, allowing water withdrawal from the Athabasca River to be stopped during low-flow periods, and a plan for full reclamation of the project site. If approved, it’s estimated that the Frontier project will directly employ up to 4,000 workers during construction and up to 2,500 workers during operation. In January 2012, Teck entered into an agreement to acquire SilverBirch Energy Corporation and their 50% interest in the Frontier oil sands project. On April 4, 2012, this transaction concluded, giving Teck sole ownership of the Frontier project.
Operators:
Teck Resources Limited: Operator with 100% interest