Alberta refinery ramping up for bitumen feed

Sept. 5, 2018
North West Redwater Partnership (NWRP) is completing commissioning activities at the first 80,000-b/d phase of its proposed three-phased greenfield bitumen refinery in Sturgeon County, about 45 km northeast of Edmonton, Alta.

North West Redwater Partnership (NWRP) is completing commissioning activities at the first 80,000-b/d phase of its proposed three-phased greenfield bitumen refinery in Sturgeon County, about 45 km northeast of Edmonton, Alta. (OGJ Online, June 22, 2018).

With final inspections and tests now under way on the remaining two units—including an LC-Finer (or residue hydrocracker) and gasifier—the units are well on their way to startup, which will complete commissioning of all ten of operator North West Refining Inc.’s refinery’s units in preparation for switchover to bitumen feedstock from Alberta’s oil sands, NWRP said.

As of Aug. 31, the refinery had reached a total low-sulfur diesel production of 6 million bbl from the plant’s current feedstock of partially upgraded synthetic crude, the operator said.

While construction on the refinery itself is completed, NWRP confirmed testing of the refinery’s flare systems as well as some road construction work will be ongoing until November.

The operator, however, did not disclose a definitive timeframe for when bitumen feed to the completed units would begin.

Upon commissioning of all three 80,000-b/d phases, the Sturgeon refinery—which began producing diesel and other products in November 2017—will process 240,000 b/d of Canadian bitumen feedstock to produce ultralow-sulfur diesel, diluent, and other bitumen products for both Canadian and global markets (OGJ Online, Dec. 19, 2017).

NWRP is a joint venture of NWR (formerly North West Upgrading Inc.), Calgary. Canadian Natural Upgrading Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., also is of Calgary.

Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].