Breakfast and Registration

9:30 - 9:45 AM

Global Markets for Canadian Oil Sands Crudes
Basil Botha, president & CEO, Cash Minerals Ltd.
Basil Botha, president and CEO, Cash Minerals, Vancouver, BC, will speak on using gasification technology to process Canadian oilsands and his company's efforts to take advantage of the energy-sector opportunity for alternative fuels by using the coal-to-liquids (CTL) process to produce synfuel that is rapidly becoming a popular alternative to increasingly expensive petroleum. An International Energy Agency report projected energy demand to grow over 50% by 2030 and sufficient funds will not be invested in time to keep energy markets from having supply shortages. Botha believes that oil prices will continue to rise until increasing demand is met with an additional supply. He intends to position Cash Minerals to take advantage of the ensuing oil shortage. Clean coal energy has been proposed to help replace more than 75% of US oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. Cash Minerals is an emerging energy resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange with 60 million shares outstanding and its activities are primarily focused on developing its significant base of Yukon coal and uranium assets. The company is working with Sasol to convert the firm's Yukon coal resources using the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process to produce sulfur-free gasoline, diesel and propane. The company is also preparing a conceptual study on producing FT fuels at a 50,000-b/d-minemouth CTL plant near the city of Manzhouli in China's Zhalainuoer district.

Integration of Gasification into the Next Generation of Upgraders
Paul Koppel, vice president of process engineering, Fluor Canada Ltd.
Natural gas price increases and tightening supplies have focused ever more attention on the inclusion of gasification in both new and existing bitumen upgraders. Nearly every upgrader project is now considering the use of gasification. Ultimately the decision to include gasification is based on two factors. The first, of course, is economics. Gasification is a capital intensive process. To justify its inclusion, the resulting operating cost savings in natural gas must justify the capital expenditure. The second factor is process complexity. Gasification is a complex process. While proven, the technology is not fully mature and has its nuances. Therefore, an experienced team is required. Potential gasification feedstocks include residue, asphaltene and coke. Products can include hydrogen, fuel gas and power. Careful consideration must also include site location and logistics, upstream production, upgrader configuration and integration potentials. Fluor has extensive experience in both gasification technologies and upgrading projects . Currently, Fluor is heavily involved in Alberta's first gasification unit for the OPTI Canada/Nexen's Long Lake project. Detailed design has just been completed and the unit is well into construction with a scheduled start-up in 2007. This presentation will focus on the factors to consider and potential integration schemes for gasification in the burgeoning oil sands upgrading marketplace.

Prospects for the Future Oil Sands Production
Tom Kemp, director upgrading & refining, Jacobs Canada
Nearly $79 billion in oilsands investment is planned in Alberta as the time is right for significant oilsands development, Global oil consumption in the future will continue to rise and the proportion of production from the offshore sector and bitumen extraction from oilsands and oil shale will grow significantly in order to secure supplies. This security of supply will fuel the expansion of bitumen-derived feedstocks in current and extended US markets. Refineries will need to be "reconfigured" to make them bitumen friendly and they will start to look much like an upgrader. New markets will provide the opportunity to tailor production to meet market needs. Jacobs' Canadian operation documented more than $260 million in client-approved value engineering savings. An estimated 80% of these savings accrue from the early engineering phases of oilsands projects involving upgrading and in-situ extraction. The company received 11 new oilsands contracts in 2005.

LUNCH

Canadian Energy Industry Overview
Clark Grue, vice president of investment and trade development, Calgary Ecomonic Development
The Calgary Economic Development is a primary source of information, data and educational materials pertaining to Calgary's economic sector. This presentation will review growth and challenges as as the Oil Sands draws companies, people and expansion.

Managing Risk - Meeting the Regulations
Scott Jones,general manager, Lloyd's Register, Cap Stone
Oil Sands Operating companies have an obligation to their stakeholders to operate their plants safely, reliably and profitably while meeting all national and provincial regulations. One of the regulations in Alberta is the requirement for inspections of process-containing equipment (such as pressure vessels and piping) which will include mandatory internal inspections of major static equipment. This requirement impacts plant safety, reliability and profitability. Recently the province adopted alternate rules that allow the operating company to implement a risk based inspection program. This presentation will discuss the current regulations and how they impact the operation of oil and gas producers. The ability to defer inspections by the use of a risk based inspection (RBI) process will be presented along with the requirements for a suitable RBI program. It will focus on the value that can be achieved by adopting a good RBI program.

Update on Peace River Arch.
Don Allan, VP business development & engineering, P.R.O. Upgrading Inc. Alberta The Peace River Oilsands play in northwestern Alberta could support sustained production of 1.3 million b/d for 30 years. Peace River Oil (PRO) Upgrading plans to start work this summer on the $800 million Bluesky Upgrader and complete the first phase by 2010 that will process 20,000 b/d of bitumen. The plant will be expanded in 20,000-b/d increments as area demand grows and produces up to 100,000 b/d by 2020. The project is based on the growing need for local producers to find solutions for their diluent supply problems for their product. Its planned technologies include a gasification process where asphaltenes will be converted into hydrogen, power and steam and will reduce harmful air emissions due to its effectiveness in sulfur recovery that is greater than 99% recovery. The innovative upgrading process was developed after extensive study of more than 30 configurations and is made possible by technological advancements that give the firm a competitive edge as a small producer.