Resource Conservation
Energy Conservation Highlights
Syncrude has a variety of initiatives and measures in place to encourage site-wide energy conservation and energy-efficient behaviours and attitudes among employees. In 2007, these included:
- The introduction of the Global Energy Management System, an ExxonMobil program that aims to significantly reduce energy use across the organization. Toward this goal, a major energy audit will take place across the Syncrude site in 2008, and results from it will provide guidance for conservation initiatives over the next five years. An early success was a reduction in the temperature of water used in the Primary Separation Vessel at the Aurora Mine; a Syncrude research project discovered that colder water can be used without affecting bitumen recovery rates.
- The establishment of the Syncrude Energy Conservation Team, or ENCON, that looks for energy savings opportunities across the organization. Examples of energy efficiency achievements in 2007 include $338,000 in fuel gas savings from improved furnace operations and the creation of an energy conservation awareness campaign that, among other things, encourages employees to turn off the lights when they leave a room.
- A near doubling of the heat recovered from preheaters since 1997 thanks to improvements in the water recycling process. The gains, which also result in greenhouse gas emissions reductions, arise from a strategic drop in natural gas use and a greater focus on energy efficiency and conservation by operators and other staff.
- Participation in Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation, which is a best practice initiative of the Government of Canada.
