Mitsubishi J to power oil sands project in Alberta

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems announced Suncor Energy has agreed to purchase MHPS JAC gas turbine technology to power a more cost-effective and carbon-efficient process for bitumen production and power production in the Canadian oil sands.

The MHPS JAC gas turbine technology was selected through a competitive bidding process. The plan calls for two JAC gas turbines to be installed with two heat recovery steam generators in a co-generation facility at the company's base plant oil sands mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The operation will involve a proprietary process that uses natural gas to generate up to 800 MW of electricity using MHPS JAC gas turbine technology. Waste heat from the gas turbine will heat the oil sands to separate the sand from the bitumen. This process will improve the efficiency of the existing production of approximately 350,000 barrels of bitumen per day.

In addition, MHPS will provide their digital power solution technology. This will allow MHPS to monitor the equipment and provide predictive analytics, machine learning and adaptive controls technology.

The new process is expected to result in a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and power more than 700,000 Alberta homes.