The costs of producing bitumen and synthetic crude in the Albertan oil sands have increased over the past year, says the Canadian Energy Research Institute in an annual report that projects steady growth in output.

The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) said on July 22 that it agrees with the assessment that the steaming strategy and wellbore issues were the main contributing factors to last year’s bitumen flow-to-surface (FTS) incidents at the east and south sections the Primrose project operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL).

The US Department of Energy wants to mobilize federal government, oil and gas industry, university, and other research to address subsurface engineering challenges, particularly controlling fracture propagation and fluid flow, officials said at the first of several projected discussions.

Anadarko Petroleum Corp., BP PLC, ConocoPhillips, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC have signed an agreement with FMC Technologies Inc. to jointly develop next-generation standardized subsea production equipment and systems for producing oil and gas from deepwater high-pressure, high-temperature reservoirs.