Investments in additional oil sands production capacity in Alberta will be boosted with a WTI price hovering between $55/b and $60/b even as producers spare no effort to reduce their capital costs, executives said Wednesday. “It is still tough out there, but in the past year we have dropped operating and capital costs by 17% and 30%, respectively, with our focus still being on consolidation and optimization,” Lyle Stevens, Canadian Natural Resources executive vice president, told the 2016 TD Securities Energy Calgary Conference. CNR is adding 23,000 b/d of oil equivalent of heavy and light oil output in Western Canada over the coming six months at a cost of C$17,000 ($13,120)/flowing barrel and is also three months away from adding 45,000 b/d of bitumen output at its Horizon facility in northern Alberta, he said. Flowing barrel costs include construction costs and sustaining capital and operating expenditure. “We’re feeling a […]