Kearl oil sands trucks all autonomous says Imperial

Imperial Oil (TSX:IMO) says it has completed the conversion of all its haul trucks to autonomous operation at the Kearl oil sands mine in northern Alberta. There are now 81 fully autonomous trucks in service, making this one of the largest autonomous fleets in the world. The announcement was made in the company’s third quarter 2023 news release.

Other key projects at Kearl included the startup of the final boiler flue gas unit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Monitoring and assessment of the expanded seepage interception system is ongoing, as is engagement with local Indigenous communities.

Production at Kearl during the third quarter 2023 was 295,000 bbl/day (the highest figure the project has ever reached) compared to 271,000 bbl/day in the same quarter a year earlier. The month of September set a single-month record of 332,000 bbl/day.

Higher production at Kearl was driven by increased plant capacity utilization and mine equipment productivity. Self-driving trucks have a cost advantage over conventional operation, but most of the value comes from productivity improvements.

Learn more about Imperial’s oil sands operations on the company website.