Producers active in the oil sands of Canada will collaborate through a combination of three existing industry groups into one, Pathways Alliance, to be led by a former Cenovus Energy executive.
The new organization incorporates the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero Alliance, launched in 2021, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), created in 2012, and the Oil Sands Community Alliance (OSCA), created in 2013.
Kendall Dilling, previously vice-president of environment and regulatory at Cenovus, will serve as president. Drilling was seconded earlier this year to serve as interim director of the original Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero Alliance.
COSIA will continue to operate as a division within the Pathways Alliance under the leadership of Wes Jickling. COSIA will drive innovation and technological development within the Pathways Alliance to lower emissions and drive other environmental improvements for the industry.
The six member companies of the Pathways Alliance - Canadian Natural, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips Canada, Imperial, MEG, and Suncor Energy - operate about 95% of Canada's oil sands production.
One focus of the new alliance will be to continue the work under way to reduce GHGs from oil sands production by 22 million tonnes/year by 2030, and ultimately achieve net zero emissions from oil sands production by 2050. Work includes a proposed carbon capture and storage (CCS) network that will capture CO2 from oil sands infrastructure and transport it to a hub in the Cold Lake area of Alberta for permanent underground storage.
