Located around 75km northeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta, the Imperial Oil-operated Kearl project is estimated to have recoverable bitumen of approximately 4.6 billion barrels, and has operational life of over 40 years.
The bitumen from the Kearl project is processed in more than 25 refineries across the world.
Exxon Mobil expects production at the field to reach 110,000 barrels per day, which will double the Kearl project output to 220,000 barrels per day.
The expansion project involved addition of three trains, which use paraffinic froth treatment technology to produce bitumen.
The treatment process and the electrical cogeneration technology will help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, the company said.
Imperial chairman and CEO Rich Kruger said: "Completed ahead of schedule, the project benefited significantly from Imperial’s ‘design-one/build multiple’ approach, ExxonMobil’s expertise in project planning and execution, strong relationships with Alberta-based contractors, and lessons learned from the Kearl initial development."
The Kearl project is being developed in three phases with initial development commissioned in April 2013.
