Suncor project near finish line
Suncor Energy`s largest construction effort is set to hit its peak this May, as up to 3,500 workers complete the restarted $4.3-billion Firebag 3 in situ oilsands project north of Fort McMurray.
And by the end of the summer it will be complete, with commissioning of the complex set for the fall, first steam injected before the end of 2010 and first bitumen produced by mid-2011, Firebag`s central facilities project director told the Resource Industry Suppliers Association on Thursday.
"This year we`ll spend 3.7 million man-hours, and while there will be 2,500 to 2,700 people full-time, up to 3,500 will be hired to cover all the shifts during this period," said Jay Froc.
With the smaller Firebag 1 and 2 projects already producing more than 60,000 barrels per day, Suncor was counting Firebag 3 and the following three stages to push bitumen production up sharply -- until the oil-price crash of 2008 led the firm to freeze all construction.
Firebag 3, which was half complete at the time, was restarted this fall, with an allotment of $900 million in 2010.
Read the full article
here.