Upgrader conditionally approved for Strathcona

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Strathcona County – The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has approved an application by TOTAL E&P Canada Ltd. to build and operate a 300,000 barrel-per-day oil sands upgrader in the Alberta Industrial Heartland area of Strathcona County.

However, in their 68-page report titled Decision 2010-030, the ERCB has placed seven conditions on the project:.

  • Achieve a sulphur recovery rate of 99.5 per cent within six months of project commencement.
  • Conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise prior to project start-up.
  • Submit a site-specific emergency response plan and assessment of all hazards for the ERCB’s approval following the engineering and design phase and following the emergency response exercise.
  • Submit a revised noise impact assessment six months prior to the start of construction.
  • Update the baseline sound monitoring surveys in accordance with ERCB regulations.
  • Conduct a sound monitoring survey three months after project start-up to ensure compliance with ERCB noise regulations.
  • Satisfy the Board by no later than Oct. 1, 2016 that construction of the project has commenced, or the approval will expire on December 31, 2016, unless the Board stipulates a later date.

Additionally, the company will be expected to fulfill all 86 commitments made in the company’s application to the ERCB and during the public hearing held in Fort Saskatchewan in June. TOTAL’s commitments related to stakeholder engagement, public safety, operations, construction and design.

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