Canada is cleaning up the image of its oil sands
Big industrial projects are ugly. Under pressure, Canada is taking steps to improve the image of its oil sands
Earth Day, 22 April, may seem an incongruous date for the governments of Canada and Alberta to launch a new website to track oil-sands contaminants in the environment. But environmentalists, many of whom oppose the developments in Canada, had reason to cheer.The website marks the first time that timely data relating to the oil-sands industry’s impact on land, air and water has been made public; and all in raw, unedited form, too. The federal and provincial authorities spent C$50 million ($48.5m) on the programme – a bargain if it helps clean up their image as eco-bruisers. Canada plans to double oil-sands output to 3.8m barrels a day within the next 10 years. Environmental concerns and the p
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
