1954
Construction finishes on Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd.’s new, world-scale hydrometallurgical plant in Fort Saskatchewan. It was built close to abundant natural gas supplies needed for the ammonia leach process.
Sherritt International
1955
Inland Chemicals completed construction of a sulfuric acid manufacturing plant on the site known today as The Marsulex Fort Saskatchewan CSC.
Marsulex
1961
Dow Chemical’s new multi-million dollar plant begins operating during the summer. The site manufactures products for the agricultural, oil, gas, transportation and pulp and paper industries. Dow built the site at Fort Saskatchewan because of the readily available, low cost natural resources.
Dow Chemical
1969
Imperial Oil completes construction of largest integrated fertilizer complex in Canada, in Redwater. This facility is now owned by Agrium.
Agrium
1972
Chevron completed construction of a fractionation, storage and transportation terminal for Natural Gas Liquids on the site now known as the Keyera Fort Saskatchewan Fractionation & Storage Facility.
Keyera Energy
1973
Fort Saskatchewan site is built as a storage terminal for the Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) produced as a by-product of gas processing.
BP Canada Energy Company / Heritage Companies
1979
The Cochin pipeline system starts transporting HD5 propane, ethane and ethylene from Fort Saskatchewan to the mid-west United States and then to Windsor, Ontario.
BP Canada Energy Company / Heritage Companies
1981
Industry forms the Fort Saskatchewan Regional Industry Association, a non-profit organization to foster economic stability and encourage commercial growth within the Fort Saskatchewan area - a recognized industrial center in Alberta.
NCIA
1984
The $1.4 billion state-of-the-art Scotford Refinery opens along with a Chemical plant at the Scotford site. Shell becomes the first refinery in the world to refine only synthetic crude oil from Alberta oil sands deposits.
Shell Canada
1990
Dupont constructed a Hydrogen Peroxide facility in Sturgeon County that is now owned by Evonik Degussa.
Evonik Degussa
1994
Sherritt Inc. purchases Imperial Oil’s Redwater Fertilizer Operation. Sherritt splits into Sherritt International Corporation (with interests in Cuba) and Sherritt Inc.
Sherritt International
1996
In the previous year, Sherritt Inc. is renamed Viridian Inc. Viridian Inc. splits into The Westaim Corporation and Viridian Inc. Later that year, Agrium Inc. purchases Viridian Inc. (includes Redwater and Fort Saskatchewan facilities).
Agrium
1997
Umicore purchases the cobalt powder business from The Westaim Corporation and incorporates it as Umicore Canada.
Umicore Canada
Degussa purchases the Dupont Hydrogen Peroxide Plant (built in 1989/1990) located near Gibbons.
Evonik Degussa
Praxair constructs an oxygen facility in Fort Saskatchewan to service Dow Chemical Canada.
Praxair
2000
Marsulex Inc. purchases the Specialty Chemicals business from The Westaim Corporation.
Marsulex
Air Liquide's Scotford complex begins operation with oxygen and nitrogen gases produced for local industry along with liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon for broader distribution throughout Alberta and the U.S.
Air Liquide
2001
The Fort Saskatchewan Regional Industrial Association changed to the Northeast Capital Industrial Association, a non-profit co-operative which seeks to understand and reduce the environmental impacts of member industries through collaborative efforts with the community and all levels of government to support sustainable industrial growth.
NCIA
2003
Shell Canada’s Scotford upgrader – a joint venture project between Chevron Canada and Marathon Oil LP – starts processing bitumen from Shell’s Muskeg River Mine.
Shell Canada
Provident Energy enters the Midstream business through acquiring the Redwater Natural Gas Liquids Processing System from Williams Energy Canada.
Williams Energy
2004
Sulzer Metco acquires the Ambeon Division of The Westaim Corporation in Canada. Now as Sulzer Metco (Canada) Inc, the company becomes a global provider of customized nickel-based materials for power generation and aero industries.
Sulzer Metco (Canada)
North West Upgrading secures approximately 17 square kilometers of industrial property near Redwater for the future construction of a new upgrader.
North West Upgrading
ME Global is established via a joint venture between the Dow Chemical Company and Petrochemical Industries Company of Kuwait.
ME Global Canada
2005
Alberta Sulphur Terminals (Hazco Environmental) purchases land in Lamont County.
Hazco Environmental
2006
Petro Canada, now Suncor, purchases land for the Fort Hills Upgrader.
Suncor
BA begins construction on the Heartland Upgrader.
BA Energy
2007
Total E&P Canada announces its plans to build a bitumen upgrader east of Fort Saskatchewan.
Total E&P Canada
Shell Canada announces it has applied to the Alberta Energy Utilities Board for approval to build a four-phase upgrader expansion northeast at its Scotford site, boosting expansion to 700,000 barrels per day. In 2010, the application was pulled.
Shell Canada
Enbridge Pipelines (Athabasca) is selected by Fort Hills Energy LP to develop the Fort Hills Pipeline Project to provide pipeline transportation services for the proposed Fort Hills Oil Sands Project mine and upgrader. The construction of the Stonefell Terminal (to service BA Energy) was begun and 50% completed in 2007. Also, the Waupisoo Pipeline which goes through the IH was completed in 2008.
Enbridge Pipelines
Dow Chemical shuts down its chlor-alkali and ethylene dichloride plants and announces it will be closing its third Fort Saskatchewan plant in 16 months – the Styrofoam plant – which is slated for closure in 2009.
Dow Chemical
2008
Construction of the Heartland offgas plant, initially built to process offgas from BA Energy and supply ethane to Dow Chemical, was begun and halted (80% completed) when BA suspended construction of its Heartland Upgrader.
Aux Sable
The Gulf Chemical and Metallurgical Canada Corporation spent catalyst processing facility is finished construction and began operation in May. The Facility is currently idle and is in the process of looking at alternative feedstock.
Gulf Chemical and Metallurgical Corp
BA Energy suspends construction on the Heartland Upgrader pending further sourcing of bitumen suppliers and to align with its parent company's, (Value Creation Inc.) plans to develop its own bitumen resources and additional funding.
BA Energy
Access Pipeline constructs facility in Sturgeon County.
Access Pipeline
2009
Alberta Sulphur Terminals (Hazco Environmental) receives regulatory approval for the construction of a sulphur forming and shipping facility in Lamont County.
Hazco Environmental
2010
Aux Sable Canada (ASC) and Shell Canada Products enact a long-term Offgas Processing Agreement that will secure an offgas feedstock source for the Heartland Offgas Plant. Set to become operational in the summer of 2011, it will make ASC the first company in Alberta to extract ethane and hydrogen from an upgrader or refinery offgas stream.
Aux Sable Canada
Shell announces it is withdrawing its multi-phased upgrader expansion application, focusing instead on ‘debottlenecking’ opportunities at Scotford’s existing upgrading facilities.
Shell Canada
Total E&P Canada announces it will form an alliance with Suncor Energy, trading interests in the Fort Hills and Joslyn North Mine projects. Total E&P Canada is set to also take a 49 per cent share of Suncor’s unfinished Voyageur upgrader north of Fort McMurray. Total E&P Canada puts its Strathcona County bitumen upgrader project on hold.
Total E&P Canada/ Suncor
2011
The Alberta Government and the partnership of North West Upgrading and CNRL formalize an agreement to process the 75,000 bbls/d of the Province’s Bitumen Royalty volumes at the North West Bitumen Refinery.
North West Upgrading