Engineering firms help improve cement industry, lessen impact of Oil Sands

Several engineering companies have band together to conduct environmental research into the operations of Canada’s oil sands. One of the engineering firms that helped Lafarge Canada upgrade a cement kiln located in Exshaw, Alberta was WorleyParsonsKomex. The company was also responsible for obtaining environmental permits and giving geotechnical services for Lafarge’s expansion plan to bring up the facility’s manufacturing capacity by 60 percent. The upgrade, which costs $20 million, substantially minimized emissions of sulphur dioxide by 60 percent and reduced nitrogen oxide emissions by 40 percent. It also included equipment that reduced the plant’s dust and noise levels.

 

On the other hand, AECOM Technology is currently undertaking three environmental research projects on the use and recycling of water for Canada’s oil sands projects. The study is being done for Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), an organization composed of oil sands producers. COSIA’s goal is for the producers to work together in looking for new technologies and seeking new methods to reduce the industry’s impacts to the environment. So far, its member firms have already come up with 560 technologies worth $900 million.

 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $23 million contract to engineering firm Tetra Tech. The single-award contract covers five years and will use field work, laboratory analysis, modeling and data interpretation in order to evaluate and lessen the effects that contaminated fish, microbes and toxins, among others. Through this contract, Tetra Tech will be supporting ways to address issues related to water pollution.

 

In a related development, Henry Lang of Golder Associates based in the U.K. has also written an article for the 111^th Issue of European Oil & Gas Magazine 2014 on how firms involved in the extraction of shale gas can conduct hydraulic fracturing, popularly known as fracking, in a responsible manner. Lang gave an in-depth examination of the matter and wrote that the best practices must involve thorough scrutiny of the reservoirs and comprehensive water management.

Ontario sets up Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation

The province of Ontario has established the Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation within the promised window of 60 days. The not-for-profit corporation was set after Ontario pledged on July 3, 2014 to put up the company in just two months.


The ROF Infrastructure Development Corporation is integral to the promotion of progress in the Ring of Fire, a region believed to have a mineral potential worth $60 billion. Located 540 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay, the Ring of Fire’s mineral potential includes the largest chromite deposit ever found in North America to date. The said corporation, which currently has four of the province’s public servants on its interim board, will focus on the First Nations as well as public and private sectors to form partnerships. Ultimately making decisions regarding transportation infrastructure.


The role of the current four-member Board of Directors will be to put in place the necessary structures so that the partners can decide on their level of participation in the development firm. When the corporation becomes fully-formed, it will be capable of giving advice regarding critical investment on the province’s infrastructure. It will also determine how the province’s $1 billion commitment to infrastructure development in the Ring of Fire can be used best.

Ontario is investing in the Ring of Fire as part of its economic plan that puts primary importance in constructing modern infrastructures, investing in people and promoting a business climate that is modern and vibrant.

British Columbia reveals plans for separate reviews after Mount Polley mine spill

In a bid to bring back the people’s trust in British Columbia’s mining industry, two different reviews will be conducted by the government of British Columbia after the Mount Polley mine spill last August.

A dam located at the waste pond of Mount Polley’s open-pit mine burst and let loose 10 million cubic meters of water and 4.5 million cubic meters of what could possibly be toxic slurry into what were once pristine forests, lakes and rivers. Indigenous First Nations live in the areas where the water and potentially toxic waste flowed.

According to the Minister of Energy and Mines, Bill Bennett, three independent experts composed of consulting engineers have been appointed to review why the tailings dam broke at the Mount Polley Mine.  These advisors consist of Norbert Morgenstern, Colorado-based geotechnical engineer Steven Vick and University of British Columbia professor Dirk Van Zyl. Their evaluation of the matter is set to be finished by January 31, 2015 with the report provided to the government in addition to the Soda Creek and Williams Lake Indian Bands.

Meanwhile, the second review which will be led by the chief inspector of mines in British Columbia will ask all mines with tailings dams operating in the province to let independent experts evaluate their plants and submit a report to the government. The safety inspection must be complied with by December 1st of this year. There are 60 mines with 98 tailings ponds permitted to operate in B.C.

To date authorities are still investigating the reason for the dam failure.  The provincial government has reassured that the water in the surrounding area will be safe to be consumed and that wildlife will not suffer substantial impact from the event. However, experts have warned that it could take years for the true extent of the devastation to become apparent since the toxins could possibly accumulate in the environment over time.