GHG intensity of the Canadian oil sands industry continued to decline in 2020
Canada’s oil sands fight for their future
A combination of material reductions in environmental footprint and better communication aims to safeguard the beleaguered industry for the long term
Major Canadian oil sands producers, with the support of the federal and Alberta government, are trying to put the pieces in place to give their industry a fighting chance of continuing to produce and export substantial volumes of oil as the world moves towards net-zero emissions—in defiance of gloomy prognoses for its long-term future such as the IEA’s most recent report on its outlook. The industry has, in the view of Kevin Birn, vice-president of North American crude oil markets at consultancy IHS Markit in Calgary, gone through three major stages of development since the turn of the millennium: a free-for-all for its first 10-15 years, characterised by cost overruns and process inefficien
Also in this section
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment
19 February 2026
Growth in LNG supply will surpass the rise in demand in 2026 for the first time in years, according to Mike Fulwood, senior research fellow at the OIES, but lower prices are likely to encourage fuel switching and could create more demand on a permanent basis
19 February 2026
Awais Ali Butt, manager for sales and business development at Pakistan LNG Ltd, discusses LNG’s role in energy security across developing, price-sensitive economies, as well as examining trade-offs between buying strategies and the impact of lower prices and policy on import behaviour
19 February 2026
LNG’s technical maturity, availability and price, as well as regulation, have driven its rapid adoption as a marine fuel, yet its future in shipping will depend on transition policies and progress in cutting methane emissions and scaling bio- and synthetic LNG, according to Carlos Guerrero at Bureau Veritas
