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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
10.25.2004 ET
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CSR News from:
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Imperial Oil Contributes $10 Million for Oil Sands Research at U of A
(CSRwire) EDMONTON, - The University of Alberta and Imperial Oil Limited
announced today that the company will contribute $10 million over the next
five years to establish a new research facility, The Imperial Oil Centre
for Oil Sands Innovation. It is the largest investment ever made by
Imperial in a university, and the largest single corporate cash commitment
ever received by the university's Faculty of Engineering.
Administered by the Faculty of Engineering, The Imperial Oil Centre's
mandate will be to find more efficient, economically viable, and
environmentally responsible ways to develop Canada's oil-sands resources,
one of the largest crude oil deposits in the world.
The Honourable R. John Efford, Minister of Natural Resources Canada
acknowledged the collaboration between Imperial Oil and the University of
Alberta. "The Imperial Oil Centre for Oil Sands Innovation is an excellent
example of cooperation between the private sector and the academic
community that can help us meet our economic and environmental goals,"said
Minister Efford. "The Government of Canada is committed to the sustainable
development of our natural resources, and it's only through researching
and commercializing innovative new energy technologies that we will
achieve this." "The government of Alberta has long been committed to
investing in innovation and new technology, not only in oil sands
development, but also in clean energy research," said Victor Doerksen,
Minister of Alberta Innovation and Science. "This new Centre will build on
the good work being done in this sector and help to ensure the
sustainability of our oil sands and heavy oil industry."
At a gathering of industry representatives, government officials, and
engineering researchers in Edmonton today, Mr. Tim J. Hearn, Imperial
chairman, president and CEO, emphasized the strong link between science
and technology with business and environmental improvement. "For Imperial,
this contribution is an investment in Canadian education and intellectual
capacity to develop a vital energy resource, both economically and with
care for the environment," Hearn said.
"I must congratulate and thank Imperial Oil Limited for their generosity
and their foresight in the creation of the Imperial Oil Centre for Oil
Sands innovation. This is a tangible demonstration of Imperial Oil's
confidence in the University of Alberta and their ability to shape the
future for all Albertans and indeed all Canadians," said Hon. Jim Edwards,
Chair of the Board of Governors, University of Alberta.
Engineering Dean Dr. David T. Lynch said, "This significant corporate
support substantially increases the university's capacity for research and
education on the orderly development of our natural resources, with
particular focus on energy and the environment. It will provide major
benefits locally, nationally and internationally through the activities of
our graduates and the impact of our groundbreaking research. It also
solidifies a long-standing and rewarding relationship between the
University of Alberta and Imperial Oil." Imperial Oil Limited has been a
leading member of the Canadian energy industry for more than 120 years.
One of the largest producers of crude oil and natural gas liquids and a
major producer of natural gas, the company is also Canada's largest
refiner and marketer of petroleum products, sold primarily under the Esso
and Mobil brands, and a major producer of petrochemicals.
The University of Alberta's Faculty of Engineering is among North
America's leading engineering research and teaching centres, with 4,300
students, 30 research chairs, $73 million in annual external support, over
120 new professors, several new buildings and outstanding facilities. For
further information on the Faculty, visit www.engineering.ualberta.ca.
The University of Alberta in Edmonton is one of Canada's premier teaching
and research universities serving more than 35,000 students with some
8,000 faculty and staff. It is recognized internationally as a leader in a
number of research areas including water quality, northern studies, animal
science and breakthrough diabetes research. The University of Alberta
continues to lead the country with the most 3M Teaching Fellows - Canada's
only national award recognizing excellence in undergraduate teaching - and
with the most Academic All-Canadians - students who excel both in the
classroom and in varsity athletics.
Backgrounder
The context
North America and the world will require increasing supplies of affordable
energy in the years ahead. Alberta has an immense oil sands and heavy oil
resource base that can help meet the energy needs of the future for the
benefit of Albertans and Canadians. However, the continued development and
production of this resource will be costly and energy intensive raising
both economic and environmental issues.
The vision
The Imperial Oil Centre for Oil Sands Innovation will be dedicated to the
development of new energy-efficient and environmentally-responsible
technologies for the integrated production and upgrading of Alberta's oil
sands resources (including coke, resid, and asphaltene materials) to
provide clean energy and value-added products.
The focus
The Imperial Oil Centre for Oil Sands Innovation will build on existing
expertise and innovative research on the fundamental properties,
production, and upgrading of oil sands, proof of concept studies on new
process alternatives and products, and development of methods to optimize
integration of resource recovery and processing to provide clean energy,
and value-added products while minimizing environmental impact.
Examples of activities
Research on chemistry, thermodynamics, and interfacial properties of
bitumen to support new technologies for in situ and in pit production,
separation of desirable and undesirable components, new processing
pathways, and sensors to monitor process operation.
New approaches to separation and catalytic conversion of components
from bitumen, based on nanostructured materials, to add value by providing
clean fuels and petrochemical products.
Gasification of bitumen with an emphasis on novel approaches that
support integration with production and upgrading.
New methods for analyzing production and upgrading of bitumen from
oilsands to allow the rational design of integrated processes. Like
life-cycle analysis for manufactured products, these methods will consider
all aspects of the utilization of the natural resources.
Suggested radio announcement:
"Imperial Oil Limited announced today that they will contribute $10
million over the next five years to establish a new research facility, the
Imperial Oil Centre for Oil Sands Innovation at the University of Alberta.
This is the largest investment ever made by Imperial in a university, and
the largest single corporate cash commitment ever received by the Faculty
of Engineering at the U of A."
For further information: Sherrell Steele, Communications and Public
Relations Strategist, Faculty of Engineering, (780) 492-4514; Richard
O'Farrell, Public Affairs Department, Imperial Oil, (416) 968-4875
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