For years, Devon has drawn the industry’s accolades for water recycling efforts at its Jackfish facility in eastern Alberta. Now come kudos from an avowed environmental advocate.
Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore visited Devon’s thermal heavy oil operation as part of an oil sands tour organized by the Canadian Petroleum Producers Association. Moore came away impressed with both Jackfish and the steam-assisted gravity drainage process.
“I was impressed by the fact that Devon's Jackfish operation uses no fresh water, recycles saline water at a high rate and leaves no discharge behind," Moore said. "I can say that I saw a serious commitment by Devon toward ensuring the surrounding environment is well protected and that local communities derive the greatest economic and social benefits from this plentiful resource. In my view, Devon personnel are to be congratulated for their efforts.”
In addition to being a co-founder of Greenpeace International, Moore served nearly a decade as president of its Canadian chapter. Today, Moore works with industry to develop sustainability messaging in the areas of natural resources, biodiversity, energy and climate change. Moore is committed to a science-based approach to environmentalism, which he terms as being “sensible.” His tour of Jackfish and other oil sands operations resulted from a request Moore made to the Canadian Petroleum Producers Association.
Jackfish, designed to produce up to 35,000 barrels of oil per day, is the first commercial SAGD operation to use only saline water in the steaming process. That water is recycled eight to nine times before being injected deep into the ground. Jackfish 2, an identical facility adjacent to the original, is mechanically complete, and production is expected by the end of 2011.
“It’s always a pleasure to share our story, and it’s interesting to see people’s reactions when they get here,” said Mike Cottrell, a Devon district superintendent who oversees Jackfish. “Often, they are quite shocked to see that our oil sands operation is just a plant with pipes and shiny equipment.”