Incentives still needed for oil sands, retiring Syncrude president says

Tax breaks and technology are needed to foster continued development of Alberta’s bitumen reserves, the president of Canada’s largest oil sands operations said Tuesday on the eve of his retirement.

About a quarter of Syncrude’s $8-billion investment in its recent Aurora mine and upgrader expansion went towards installing technologies to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. Emissions were cut by 20 per cent on an absolute basis, although production increased by 40 per cent.

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