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New bitumen upgrading facility to be built in Alberta

Jan 22, 2019 | 4:07 PM

EDMONTON, AB — The province has announced a new bitumen upgrading facility that will be built in Alberta.

Premier Rachel Notley announced on Tuesday that Value Creation Inc., a Calgary-based company, along with subsidiary Value Chain Solutions, will be investing $2 billion in the facility, which will be built in Strathcona County, east of Edmonton.

The facility will upgrade diluted oil sand bitumen into a higher-value crude blend which can flow easier through pipelines. A release from the province states the facility will belp provide cost-savings to the industry, reducing the need for dilulent, and increasing pipeline capacity by up to 30 per cent.

Construction of the facility is already underway, with more than 2,000 jobs expected during construction. Once the building is operational, another 200 full-time jobs will be available.