The Alberta Energy Regulator concludes that excessive steaming was a major cause for a number of leaks at Canadian Natural’s Primrose Lake site that caused over 100 nearby birds and frogs to die.
The report says that although CNRL didn’t break any rules with its high-pressure cyclic steam stimulation method, it has ordered the company to permanently lower its steaming volumes at the site. effecting the rate at which bitumen can be extracted.
CNRL says it has already been doing so since the initial spills in 2013.