The Alberta Energy Regulator says it’s no longer considering holding a public hearing for a new oilsands project after an Indigenous community reached a deal with the proponent, Imperial Oil.
In a notice on its website, the AER says it doesn’t need to schedule a hearing on the 162,000-barrel-per-day Aspen project after the Fort McKay First Nation withdrew a request to participate.
The regulator says the First Nation has indicated it would address project concerns directly with Imperial.
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AER says the panel for the Aspen project requested and received additional information from the company and decided there are no issues that need to be reviewed in a public proceeding without participants.
Imperial CEO Rich Kruger has complained about how long the regulatory process has taken since the company first applied for approval in 2013.
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Aspen’s first phase would cost $2.4 billion and produce 75,000 barrels per day of bitumen from wells using steam and solvent technology. The company has not made a final investment decision to build it yet.
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