Fueling Alberta Oil Sands Fleets with Natural Gas

Abstract

Alberta has an abundant supply of natural gas that has historically been exported to US markets, among others. However, a fundamental shift in North America (NA), the shale revolution, has changed this. Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have allowed for the production of oil and gas from large, previously inaccessible shale deposits. This has resulted in a large increase in natural gas production in the US and correspondingly depressed prices. The largest of these gas deposits, the Marcellus basin, now services the Northeastern US.