Page 13 - Suncor Report on Sustainability 2014 - English

Suncor: report on sustainability 2014 11

Environmental
22,500 - 43,222

litres of water per minute recycled
performance
in our new wastewater treatment plant

As we develop energy, we’re focused on

minimizing our impact on shared water,

land and air resources.

Water
sending treated tailings water from our oil

Water affects every aspect of our business, sands base plant to our Firebag in situ facility
and we continuously raise the bar on our water for reuse as makeup water. The result is a

performance, management and quality control system designed to allow 10,000 cubic
practices. As we pursue our goal of reducing metres of tailings water per day (or four

freshwater consumption by 12 per cent by Olympic-sized swimming pools) to be used
2015 (as compared to 2007), all our operations as in situ makeup water instead of being

are realizing opportunities to use less water. stored in tailings ponds. In 2013, we transferred
We are paying particular attention to our oil 1,500 cubic metres of tailings water per day.

sands mining operations, which represent
An equivalent amount of water will be recycled
our biggest draw on freshwater resources.
at our mining site, reducing the amount of

fresh water we need to withdraw from the
A key benchmark – particularly during periods Athabasca River.

of production growth – is the amount of water
consumed for each barrel of oil produced. We Reusing tailings water in the in situ extraction

continue to make signiicant progress in this area.
process is new not only to us, but also to the
entire industry. Reusing the water from the end

In 2013, our oil sands mining operation of one project’s cycle to the ongoing work of
consumed 2.01 cubic metres of water to another part of the business serves to improve

produce one cubic metre of oil – a 13 per cent Suncor’s water management practices over a
reduction in water consumption intensity larger geographical area. This Industry-leading

since 2007.
initiative is a major step toward improved
regional water management.

We expect to make further improvements
as we implement our Oil Sands Water Our new $190 million wastewater treatment

Management Strategy. For example, with the facility represents the second phase of our
commissioning of a wastewater treatment strategy. The plant, which opened in 2014,

facility, we expect to achieve an overall is designed to take wastewater from our
reduction in our river water withdrawal
upgrading pond and remove solids and oils,

of about 65 per cent compared to 2007.
so we can reuse that water in our operations

or return it to the environment. The plant can
In 2013, we took signiicant steps to put our recycle all of the upgrading wastewater –

water management strategy into action. That between 22,500 and 43,222 litres (or the
strategy is guided by three major principles:
equivalent of 12 to 35 Olympic-sized swimming

– eliminate or reduce water use
pools) of water per minute, depending on the
– reuse water where possible
time of the year – and could offset the need

– return water back to the environment.
for river water by an equivalent amount.

The irst major phase of our water strategy, This project, which is also an industry irst,
formally commissioned in 2013, involves
could virtually eliminate wastewater low