Suncor advances Meadow Creek East SAGD work

Dec. 16, 2015
Suncor Energy Inc. has taken a commercial step in the long-proposed Meadow Creek thermal oil sands project in Alberta as it awaits action on an amended development application.

Suncor Energy Inc. has taken a commercial step in the long-proposed Meadow Creek thermal oil sands project in Alberta as it awaits action on an amended development application.

The operator let a contract to Jacobs Engineering Group for project management and engineering services to complete the design basis memorandum for the renamed Meadow Creek East steam-assisted, gravity drainage project 45 km southeast of Fort McMurray.

Under the proposed amendment, Suncor and partner Nexen Energy ULC plan two replicated central process facilities able to produce 40,000 b/d each. The amendment application, filed in October, envisions construction start in 2017 and first production in 2020.

Initial development will involve 21 well pads, a cogeneration plant with capacity of 180 Mw, and supporting equipment. Ultimately, the project might have as many as 60 well pads and 560 SAGD well pairs to support production as high as 80,000 b/d over a project life of 25-40 years.

The original Meadow Creek project received commercial approval for single-stage development of 80,000 b/d of production capacity in 2003 when Petro-Canada was operator. The plan received draft environmental approval that wasn’t finalized.

Suncor absorbed Petro-Canada in a 2009 merger.

The updated project covers 13,270 hectares, compared with the original 12,478 hectares. The original project involved 322 Mw of cogeneration capacity and an initial 38 well pads with potential for an additional 41 pads (OGJ Online, Dec. 4, 2001).