On the one hand, on... 12/20/2009
Husky, Nexen on opposite sides of cap-ex fence in Canada as analysts count on largest companies sticking close to '09 spending
As Canada's leading upstream companies start to unveil their 2010 capital spending programs, some appear more inclined to bide their time than others. Analysts doubt the budgets of major players will...

Wrestling with the risks in Alberta 11/15/2009
Smaller oil sands players pinned by startup woes, inability to finance holdings; Suncor not ruling out building on industry-leading position
Some either want out or want a reduced presence; some are struggling to keep their heads above water; some are now paying the price for the rush to complete projects during a frenzied boom that ended...

Eying ConocoPhillips' Syncrude stake 11/08/2009
The hottest guessing game in Canada's oil patch these days is who will emerge as frontrunner if ConocoPhillips delivers on a strong hint that it is ready to unload a 9.03 percent stake in Syncrude Can...

Activists seize oil sands spotlight 10/18/2009
That rumbling sound in northern Alberta comes from the oil sands, where even a lull in the once-frenetic rate of growth does not mean a total time out. Far from it. Greenpeace activists invaded Sunco...

Letting the good times roll 10/18/2009
Gains in drilling, completion technology improve economics of B.C.'s Horn River, Montney plays; province hopes for strong winter
The revving up of activity in British Columbia Horn River and Montney-Doig gas formations, which the provincial government is hoping will result in a benchmark winter drilling season, has seized the a...

EnCana gets deadline to pull out 07/26/2009
The person who claims to be responsible for a series of bomb attacks on EnCana natural gas facilities in British Columbia is going high profile. Taking a brazen approach, the individual has sent two l...

Slowdown's silver lining 07/26/2009
Outlook bullish for diversified oil sands' players, Moody's report concludes
What might have been the worst of times is turning into more of a blessing as the economic downturn steers the Alberta oil sands towards reduced front-end costs and benefits those with a diverse asset...

British Columbia fires up gas enthusiasm 06/28/2009
Single sale almost doubles Alberta's first-half performance; prompts B.C. optimism that Horn River development could occur in 2010
British Columbia has jolted Western Canada out of its 2009 land sales slumber, unloading 21 licenses in its scorching-hot Horn River shale gas region for C$179 million, setting the stage for full-scal...

Rallying to oil sands 05/24/2009
French, Norwegian firms make a case for expanding their presence in Alberta
From big and small, from domestic and international stages, there is a steady, rebuilding drumbeat of support for the Canadian oil sands, motivated largely by a belief that cheap oil is disappearing. ...

'Greening' oil sands costly, but possible 05/17/2009
Report from Canadian Energy Research Institute says most likely outcome requirement by U.S., Canada for carbon capture, storage
Shedding the "dirty oil" label for a "green bitumen" uniform will be costly for the Alberta oil sands business, but likely not an option as the United States and Canadian governments move towards low...

'I think I can, I know I can ...' 04/26/2009
Canada's largest railroad promotes oil sands' express to US Gulf, B.C. coasts; says it can provide cheaper, faster transportation than pipelines
Consigned to the outbox four years ago, the idea of shipping oil sands production from Alberta to the U.S. Gulf Coast is again doing the rounds, as Canadian National Railways touts an initiative calle...

Hold off on the burial 04/05/2009
Canadian oil sands get unexpected lift from Suncor/Petro-Canada merger; ConocoPhillips to finish projects; more MandAs possible
To misquote Mark Antony, in his funeral oration for Julius Caesar: "I come to bury the oil sands, not to praise them." And, to borrow from Mark Twain: "Reports of the oil sands' death are greatly exa...

All for one, one for all 04/05/2009
B.C. government, consortium of 11 producers embark on joint effort to bring Horn River shale basin to commercial development
In with a bang, out with a whimper, but the end result was cause for celebration when British Columbia wrapped up government land sales for the 2008-09 fiscal year, which ended March 31. A modest C$1...

Cheaper to buy than drill 03/29/2009
One blockbuster deal, carrying a market value estimated at C$46 billion, turned the 2009 outlook for mergers and acquisitions in the Canadian oil patch on its head. Until March 23, the operative word...

Oil sands jolted awake 03/29/2009
Suncor, Petro-Canada merger all about oil sands; stalled projects could restart
For all the talk about a fresh-minted, globally diversified, supermajor based in Canada, the real thrust behind the merger of Suncor Energy and Petro-Canada kept breaking the surface in conference cal...

Foreign legion in retreat 03/08/2009
Canadian-based companies experience more downs than ups in overseas plays; can't negotiate financing to develop strong prospects
Whether they have been looking for a way to hedge their bets, or using the Maple Leaf as a flag of convenience, Canadian-based companies operating outside of North America have found their foreign adv...

Tiptoeing through a minefield 03/01/2009
Obama, Harper decide it's too early to walk the talk on climate-change measures, agree they need a joint approach for treaty talks
To bad Barack Obama didn't have an hour or two of free time during his Ottawa visit Feb. 19. He could have dropped in on the first Tar Sands Film Festival, which, no matter how long it lasts, is unli...

Imperial looking regal 02/08/2009
Cash-rich, virtually debt-free, Canada's leading integrated company bucks trend, pushing ahead in sands; faces approval verdict
A quick look at 2009 capital spending plans by Canada's largest oil and gas producers shows Petro-Canada is down 36 percent from 2008, EnCana and Talisman Energy are both off 18 percent and Nexen has...

Enbridge Alberta-Gulf pipeline shelved 02/01/2009
Project would have moved Western Canadian crude to Gulf, reversed direction of flow; lacked support from potential shippers
Canadian pipeline company Enbridge has added to the postponement of oil sands-related projects by shelving indefinitely plans for a US$350 million scheme that would have moved Western Canadian crude t...

French giant Total makes oil sands grab 02/01/2009
UTS Energy, junior partner in Petro-Canada's Fort Hills project, target of $617 million bid; Fort Hills UTS' main asset
Total has launched a surprise hostile bid to take out a junior partner in Petro-Canada's Fort Hills oil sands project just a month after speculation had the French super major planning a cash takeover...

Alberta oil sands facing a new enemy 01/11/2009
Financial crisis forces a corporate retreat from oil sands; billions of dollars of planned investment now on the shelf; Alberta government urged to rethink royalties; long-term impact on planned projects uncertain, but immediate impact is severe
Those who trumpeted the virtually unlimited commercial potential of Canada's oil sands may have finally met their match after years of fending off skeptics and critics. Since production of tar-like bi...

Remember the good old days 01/04/2009
Canada's upstream players reel from 4th-quarter downturn, with capital spending forecast by Barclays Capital to drop 23% in 2009
Painful as it is to be reminded, financial results for the third quarter of Canada's upstream oil and gas sector have just been tallied. Even without knowing the numbers for the final quarter, the mel...

Nexen rescues junior partner 12/28/2008
Becomes sole operator of Long Lake project, builds defenses against unwanted takeover bid; deal helps OPTI Canada meet cash call
Nexen and OPTI Canada, partners in the Long Lake oil sands project, know what it's like to be caught in the rumor mill. The objects of apparently ill-founded takeover speculation earlier in December,...

C$45 billion on the shelf 12/14/2008
Norwegian oil giant deals another blow to Alberta upgrading dreams; withdraws plans for Alberta facility, looks at options in US
There's another wooden cross on the road to the Alberta oil sands, marking billions of dollars more of lost investment. It also marks a further setback to the Alberta's government's goal of keeping up...

Vortex swallows sands 11/16/2008
9 sands projects sidelined; CNQ delivers major blow; Husky injects note of hope
If all the world's petroleum regions getting hammered in the current financial storm, none figures larger than the Alberta oil sands, where nine projects have been delayed, deferred, or, in the curren...