Since the 1950s, world renowned corporations have chosen to locate in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland (AIH) region. Growing in size and scale since that time, AIH is now home to more than 40 companies employing a work force of more than 7,000 people. The geographic region of Alberta’s Industrial Heartland (AIH) is a 582 square kilometre (225 square miles) area of industrial land. This includes 533 square kilometres (205 square miles) within the municipalities of the City of Fort Saskatchewan and the Counties of Lamont, Strathcona and Sturgeon, in addition to 49 square kilometres (20 square miles) in the municipality of the City of Edmonton (known as the Edmonton Energy and Technology Park).
To date, AIH has attracted over $30 billion of investment and developed into Canada’s largest hydrocarbon processing region. Industrial activity includes fertilizer production, resource upgrading and refinement, petrochemical development, mineral processing, and more. Future development is slated to further increase the region’s bitumen upgrading capacity, pipeline network, and petrochemical processing capabilities. To obtain the most up-to-date information on current construction and future development, visit the Project Status page.
Industrial development in AIH is done so using “eco-industrial principles”. This means that future development is designed to share, and thus make the most efficient use of information, raw materials, energy, infrastructure, and natural habitats. The intent is to preserve both environmental and human resources for the local community while generating appropriate financial returns for the business.
Initiatives and Progress for 2013
- Access Pipeline Northeast Expansion
Sturgeon County
42" pipeline from Christina Lake, AB to Access' Sturgeon Terminal near Redwater; received regulatory approval in November 2012; construction began in early 2013 with nearly 600 construction workers active on the project; pipeline scheduled to be operational by 2015 - Alberta Carbon Trunk Line
Sturgeon County
240 kilometre pipeline that will collect CO2 from industrial emitters in and around the Heartland and transport it to aging reservoirs throughout central and southern Alberta for secure storage in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects; pipeline regulatory approval received in 2011; engineering and work on capture facilities at Agrium currently underway; work on facilities at North West Redwater Partnership's Sturgeon Refinery will occur in conjunction with refinery construction - Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline
Strathcona County
Proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway is two 1,177 km pipelines from Bruderheim to a deepwater terminal and tank farm in Kitimat, BC; regulatory application submitted in 2010; Joint Review Panel final hearings currently underway with a decision expected end-2013; pending regulatory approval, construction will begin in 2014 with target completion in 2018 - Graymont Lime Hydrating & Distribution Facility
Lamont County
Announced project November 2012; pending approval from Lamont County, construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2013 with completion of the facility targeted for the second half of 2014 - Keyera De-ethanizer Project
Fort Saskatchewan
30,000 barrel per day de-ethanizer which will allow Keyera to process an ethane-rich stream of NGLs creating specification ethane for delivery to petrochemical producers in Alberta and a propane-rich stream of NGLs for delivery into Keyera’s fractionation facilities; announced plans for the project September 2012; detailed engineering work is currently underway and certain long-lead items have already been ordered; targeting completion mid-2014 - Maxim Deerland Peaking Station
Lamont County
Deerland Peaking Station will be a natural-gas-fired power generation facility that produces 190 MW; construction began in 2012 with commissioning targeted for Q4 2013 - MEG Energy Stonefell Terminal
Strathcona County
Terminal and tank facility with a 900,000 barrel storage capacity; Stonefell will be tied into the Access Pipeline with planned connections to other regional pipeline and rail transportation infrastructure; under construction with target completion mid-2013 - MEG Energy HI-Q Field Demonstration Pilot
Lamont County
1,500-3,000 barrel per day demonstration project to continue research and application of new technology that would allow bitumen to be shipped in pipelines without blending with light hydrocarbons; regulatory application submitted in early 2013; pending regulatory approval, target construction start in 2013, with target completion mid-2014 - North West Redwater Partnership’s Sturgeon Refinery
Sturgeon County
150,000 barrel/day bitumen upgrader and diesel refinery (over 3 phases); NWR currently has a team of over 300 people working on the project and expects to employ over 8,000 people during peak construction, including sub-suppliers and module fabrication yards; above ground construction starting in spring 2013 with phase 1 expected to be operational in 2016 - Sasol
Strathcona County
The gas-to-liquids facility would convert natural gas into high-quality transportation fuels and petrochemical feedstocks; project feasibility study completed in 2012; preparation of regulatory application underway; announced in December 2012 plans to exercise their option to purchase project site in Strathcona County from Total - Shell Quest
Strathcona County
Quest is a fully integrated CCS project, meaning it would capture, transport, inject and store carbon dioxide (CO2); the CO2 would then be transported safely by pipeline to an injection location north of Shell Scotford and stored permanently more than two kilometres deep under thick layers of impermeable geological formations; Quest received regulatory approval for the project from the ERCB in July 2012; Shell began construction on the project in September 2012 - TransCanada Grand Rapids Project
Various
Proposed $3-billion pipeline project that includes both a crude oil and a diluent line to transport volumes approximately 500 km from north of Fort McMurray to the Heartland; TransCanada expects to apply for regulatory approval in spring 2013; pending approval, the pipeline is expected to be in-service by early 2017 - TransCanada TC Terminals
Strathcona County
Proposed project will include up to six crude oil storage tanks with a total storage capacity of up to 1.9 million barrels; facility will occupy approximately 320 acres of current TransCanada owned lands; regulatory application to be submitted in spring 2013; pending regulatory approval, construction will begin in spring 2014 with a target in-service date in the second half of 2015 - Williams/Pembina
Sturgeon County
Modification to the existing fractionation and storage Redwater Facility to allow for extraction of ethane/ethylene as a marketable product and transport to customers via existing pipelines; received regulatory permits in early June 2012; construction began in late June 2012 with an in-service target of Q3 2013 - Williams Propane De-hydrogenation Facility
Sturgeon County
Announced in July 2012 that Williams is exploring building a PDH facility near Redwater; facility would use propane recovered from Williams’ fractionators and convert it into polymer-grade propylene; undergoing preliminary engineering and design
For additional information on industrial development, contact:
Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association (AIHA)
