Ambient Air Quality
The Wood Buffalo Environmental Association assesses the quality of ambient air through the Wood Buffalo Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network. This state-of-the- art network comprises 13 monitoring stations located throughout the region; the station sites were determined through a stakeholder consultation process and approved by Alberta Environment. Syncrude is a member of the Association and provides ongoing operating and capital funding.
During 2003, there were no instances where the Alberta Ambient Air quality guidelines for sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, or nitrogen dioxide were exceeded at the Associations’ air quality monitoring sites.
When an exceedence is noted, Syncrude will typically deploy its mobile air monitoring van to determine if the source cause was located on our plant site.
Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Syncrude did not meet its targets for energy efficiency in 2003. Performance was 1.36 million BTUs per barrel of oil produced, versus the target of 1.17. Emissions of greenhouse gases, however, at 0.097 tonnes per barrel, were lower than our target of 0.098. Operational upsets experienced during the year account for much of the reduction in energy efficiency. Mitigating this was Syncrude’s use of fuels that are less carbon intensive than earlier estimates.
Toward improved performance in 2004 and beyond, Syncrude is developing and implementing a plan to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions on a per unit of production basis. These reductions will be achieved through an ongoing program of operational improvements and capital investments. Our commitment is to achieve energy efficiency gains of at least one per cent per year, and our track record since 1988 has been better, at about 1.7 per cent per year.
Sulphur Emissions
During the year, sulphur dioxide emissions from all Syncrude sources averaged 212 tonnes per day, or 0.99 tonnes per thousand barrels of crude oil produced. This compares to 2002 performance of 222 tonnes per day, or 0.96 tonnes per thousand barrels of crude oil produced.
Toward improved sulphur emissions performance in 2004 and beyond, Syncrude enhanced systems at its sour water processing facility, which allow for better operational control and faster response during a plant upset. These actions will reduce the amount of sulphur dioxide delivered to the main stack in the event of an upset. A new tail gas analyzer installed in another plant provides additional capability to monitor and optimize the performance of the sulphur recovery complex.
Syncrude exceeded its approval limit for hourly main stack sulphur dioxide emissions (16.4 tonnes per hour) on three occasions; in each instance, actions were taken to limit the duration of the exceedence. Operations were successful in staying within the daily main stack limit of 292 tonnes per day throughout 2003. Sulphur dioxide emissions from all sources, however, exceeded the limit of 365 tonnes over one 24-hour period in January when sour coker gas was flared. During this time, the rate of feed into Syncrude’s cokers was reduced to minimize the extent of the release. The incident was attributed to faulty plant instrumentation, which was immediately repaired.
Nitrogen Oxides
Fixed plant sources account for about 60 per cent of Syncrude’s emissions of nitrogen oxides, while diesel powered mobile mining equipment accounts for the remainder.
Syncrude’s purchase specification for mobile mine equipment requires that diesel engines meet or surpass all regulatory requirements for engine design, exhaust gas treatment, and state-of-the-art combustion control. Regular turnover of mobile mine equipment ensures continual improvement in emissions performance.
Syncrude is working to reduce NOX emissions per tonne of material moved by optimizing equipment performance and productivity, minimizing haul distances, and reducing rolling resistance through road and mine pit surface improvements.
As well, Syncrude regularly pursues opportunities to retrofit furnace burners with low-NOX models.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Audit
Syncrude is a lead participant in the oil sands and heavy oil upgrading industry’s efforts to develop a comprehensive, auditable method for the reporting of GHG emissions from these complex and highly integrated facilities. The result will ensure that our industry arrives at a common and consistent GHG emission estimating method, and that the method meets provincial, federal and international reporting requirements. Other participants include the provincial and federal governments. The proposed method will be subject to a government-led third party audit before it is implemented. Syncrude will begin reporting its GHG emissions to regulators in 2004.
Sulphur Shipments
Improving sulphur market conditions in 2003 allowed Syncrude’s owners to commence shipping small amounts of its sulphur byproduct to market. In total, nearly 13,000 tonnes were shipped, while 522,000 tonnes were blocked on our site.
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