Located north of Fort McMurray, the Horizon Oil Sands include surface oil sands mining and a bitumen extraction plant as well as a shop and office facility for North American Construction Group. Owned and operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL), the Horizon Oil Sands is able to produce over 87,500 barrels of oil a day and employ thousands of Canadians at this site in northern Alberta.
Williams Engineering (WE) was provided with the opportunity to work alongside Riddell Kurczaba Architecture on the expansion of the mining services shop and office building. This project included an 8-Bay addition to the existing support shop comprised of one wash bay and seven service bays for mine support equipment, bulldozers, loaders and various trucks. All service bays were designed to include oil, lube and washing capacity. Also included in this expansion was the relocation of the existing warehouse into 2 of the existing service bays within the facility. The existing warehouse was then renovated into a male locker room and washroom, with the previous locker and washroom being renovated into a female locker and washroom as well as office space. WE’s mechanical team helped convert the existing HVAC systems from diesel to natural gas, prepared preliminary and working drawings required for the new mechanical systems design and provided construction administration services. The mechanical design included plumbing, heating and ventilation systems.
WE’s comprehensive and experienced approach to this type of project ensured timely and cost-effective delivery of design. Sufficient storage and servicing to mining support equipment is vital to the safety of the Horizon Oil Sands. This expansion and renovation was an excellent collaboration of experts and provided CNRL with the ability to service their current and future needs of this large extraction plant.
