The large volume of oil sands processed by extraction plants in Alberta’s oil sands mines results in the largest tailings facilities in the world. Oil sands tailings are deposited in above-ground and in-pit tailings impoundments. Sound engineering and management principles are used in the design and operation of these facilities to minimize environmental impacts and to meet engineering and safety standards.
An increasing number of oil sands mines will result in numerous tailings disposal impoundments that will be progressively reclaimed and closed in the 21st century. This reclamation requirement is hampered by a unique feature of oil sands tailings – the slow sedimentation and consolidation of fine tailings that are initially deposited in tailings ponds. These fluid fine tailings (FFT) require intervention with accelerated dewatering technologies, to enable reclamation during the active mine life and within a reasonable time after the cessation of mining. To address public concerns over this issue, the predecessor to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) enacted Directive 074 in 2009 to focus industry attention on disposal of FFT within set timeframes.