Oil sands tailings technology deployment roadmaps

Oil sands mines near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada produce large quantities of solid and fluid tailings. Mining and tailings production have been ongoing for over 40 years, and are expected to continue, at increasing rates, in the coming decades. There are ongoing concerns about the geotechnical risks, environmental risks, and long-term liability related to tailings production. In particular, there are concerns related to production, storage, and reclamation of fluid tailings. In response to some of these concerns, Alberta Innovates - Energy and Environment Solutions (AI-EES), in partnership with the Oil Sands Tailings Consortium (OSTC), in 2011 awarded a contract to the Consortium of Tailings Management Consultants (CTMC) to undertake an integrated project called "The Technology Deployment Roadmap and Action Plan for 'End-to-End' Solutions for Oil Sands Tailings". The project objective was "... to create a technology deployment roadmap and action plan that will assist regulators and industry to create and implement technology solutions that will meet the goals of Alberta Environment's (AEW's) Draft Tailings Management Framework and ERCB's Directive 074".