KIGAM Launches Low-Carbon Production Technology Demonstration at Canadian Oil Sands Site

Application of Domestic Plant Modules On-Site
Paving the Way for Entry into the Unconventional Energy Market

The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) is set to demonstrate low-carbon unconventional oil production technology at an oil sands site in Canada. By applying domestically developed core plant modules to a local oil field, the institute aims to lay the groundwork for entering the global energy market.

On May 7, KIGAM announced that it had signed a cooperation agreement for the "Sawn Lake ES-SAGD International Joint Research and Demonstration Project" with Andora Energy Corp., based in Calgary, Canada, and CanAsia Energy Corp.

Group photo of the international joint research agreement ceremony for the demonstration of the Canadian oil sand production plant. Provided by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources

This project will be carried out at the Sawn Lake oil sands site in Alberta, Canada. The research team plans to demonstrate a low-carbon production technology by applying the ES-SAGD process, which combines the conventional steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) method with solvents. This approach aims to improve oil sands production efficiency while reducing steam consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite its vast reserves, oil sands development has long been challenged by high energy consumption and environmental impact, making the need for environmentally friendly production technologies a key issue. In this demonstration, a facility capable of producing approximately 600 barrels of bitumen (highly viscous extra-heavy crude oil) per day, along with a process for recycling produced water, will be established.

This research is part of the "Core Technology Development Project for Construction of Unconventional Oil Production Plants," supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement. Over the next three years, KIGAM plans to establish a testbed in Canada and conduct integrated demonstrations of core domestic plant modules for oil sands production, separation, and processing research.

Group photo of the research team participating in KIGAM, Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement, and the Unconventional Oil Business Unit during the "Sawn Lake Field Survey." Provided by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources.

The research team aims to achieve results such as improved production efficiency, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and lower water treatment costs. Additionally, they plan to verify the scalability of the technology for large-scale modular oil sands development in the future.

This project is also significant in that it applies and verifies unconventional oil technology developed through domestic industry-academia-research collaboration at an overseas site. The institute expects to serve as a bridgehead for advancing into the global energy market, including North America, in the future.

Kwon Ig-yoon, President of KIGAM, stated, "This Sawn Lake project in Canada marks an important turning point as the institute's resource recovery technology is being demonstrated in the world's largest unconventional resource market. Through the integrated demonstration based on domestic core modules, we will prove our technological competitiveness and expand our role in the global energy market."

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