Titanium Corporation Inc. has achieved the first milestone of the front end engineering design phase of its CVW Horizon Project, which seeks to reduce methane and other environmental impacts from oilsands tailings and ponds.
Titanium is working with Canadian Natural Resources Limited to conduct engineering design for an oilsands tailings treatment system that eliminates certain tailings streams while recovering bitumen, solvent and high-value minerals. By preventing solvent and bitumen release, the vast majority of methane emissions from mined oilsands operations can be reduced.
"The project team is working closely with engineering firms Stantec and IHC Robbins and engineering design is progressing very well, on time and on budget," Scott Nelson, president and chief executive officer of Titanium, said in a statement.
The technology is targeted at froth treatment tails, which are estimated to be responsible for more than 90 per cent of methane emissions from tailings ponds. Results from the Canadian Natural-sponsored project will be applicable to other large oilsands mines and results will be shared and disseminated through Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance.
The project has incurred $1.1 million of costs to the end of March. Project activities include identifying locations and tie-ins for the new facilities, preparing detailed scopes of work for requests for proposals and selection of the engineering contractors.
Emissions Reduction Alberta committed up to $5 million for the project, with Titanium and Canadian Natural funding $1.5 million and up to $3.7 million respectively.
