Oil sands

In Situ

Two workers stand on a platform at Suncor's Firebag site, overlooking pipelines, valves and processing equipment. Additional piping infrastructure, boreal forest and a cloudy blue sky are visible in the background.

In situ at a glance

80%

Of Canada’s oil sands lie within areas suitable for in situ development.

53%

Of Alberta’s bitumen production comes from in situ operations.

75%

Of Alberta’s in situ production comes from SAGD operations.

 

Approximately 80% of Canada’s oil sands are too deep to mine using the truck and shovel technique and must be tapped using in situ production, a three-part process to drill, inject steam and extract bitumen to the surface.

Over decades, Suncor has continuously improved how these operations are designed and operated, helping enhance reliability, improve efficiency and optimize resource recovery.

These operations are an important part of our long-term future. In situ technology allows us to support long-term production and maximize the value of existing resources.

In situ will play an increasingly important role in what comes next for Suncor. Learn more about the future of our in situ operations.

 

Our in situ operations

Firebag

Our largest in situ operation is located 120 kilometres northeast of Fort McMurray, producing up to 215,000 barrels of oil per day.

MacKay River

Our first in situ facility is located about 60 kilometres northwest of Fort McMurray and produces up to 38,000 barrels per day.

Proposed projects

Firebag Update

Lewis

The steam-assisted gravity drainage process (SAGD)

Most of Suncor's in situ production relies on Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), a technology used to recover bitumen located too deep underground for mining. By injecting steam into the reservoir, the bitumen is heated so it can flow to a lower well and be brought to the surface for processing.
In situ diagram

Number 1

The top horizontal well reaches the oil sands ore and injects steam to heat the reservoir.

Number 2

The bitumen is separated by the heat, so, using gravity, it can flow as a liquid into the lower well.

Number 3

The bitumen travels along the lower well where it is collected and piped to upgrading facilities.

Our stories

Astisiy branded tank located at Fort Hills.
Indigenous

Five years of Astisiy: Indigenous Equity Partnership drives community growth

A Suncor employee at Base Plant smiling and raising her arms in celebration. She is wearing coveralls, protective eyewear and a red hard hat with a Suncor logo on it. Machinery can be seen in the background.
Video
People

3 in 2: beating targets and exceeding expectations

Aerial view of a large in situ operations site surrounded by lush green trees. The site features various machinery and equipment arranged across the open area, with forested areas clearly visible around the perimeter.
Innovation

Firebag does it again! Small tweaks with big results

Robert Wallenberg, one of our Firebag operators, captured the Diluent Stripping Unit (DSU), key to the production process at the Firebag site.
Operations

Full steam ahead: record-breaking Firebag production

See more stories