Funding the oil sands
Foreign investors, led by China and India, will underpin more development in Alberta
Alberta's 170 billion barrels of tarry sand are crucial to Canada’s economy, but they come at a high cost. By the federal government’s own estimate, more than C$600 billion ($591 billion) will be needed to increase oil-sands production to 3.9 million barrels per day (b/d) by 2022. That means the country will need to see a big increase in spending – bigger, even, than the C$100 billion developers have ploughed into the oil sands in the past 13 years. Consulting firm Deloitte says capital investment in oil-sands production has climbed at an annual rate of 13.5% since 2000, reaching a high of $19.9 billion in 2012. With much more money needed, who will cough up the next chunk of investment? Pro
Also in this section
11 August 2025
The administration is pushing for deregulation and streamline permitting for natural gas, while tightening requirements and stripping away subsidies from renewables
8 August 2025
The producers’ group missed its output increase target for the month and may soon face a critical test of its strategy
7 August 2025
The quick, unified and decisive strategy to return all the barrels from the hefty tranche of cuts from the eight producers involved in voluntary curbs signals a shift and sets the tone for the path ahead
7 August 2025
Without US backing, the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia—though not painless—is unlikely to have a significant impact on the country’s oil and gas revenues or its broader economy
