Case Name :      Environmental Compliance at Suncor Energy’s Firebag Facility

Authors :           Stephanie Bertels, Connie Van der Byl, Frances Bowen

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            W13208

Discipline :        Strategy

Case Length :    12 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

The incoming vice-president in situ of Suncor Energy is faced with problems of underperformance at a new facility that uses the innovative in situ technology. This technology accesses bitumen in reservoirs too deep for traditional mining practices to recover. Although it is deemed less harmful to the environment than surface mining, in situ technology does create more greenhouse gas and sulphur dioxide emissions, but these can be controlled with new equipment. Recently, the site has come under investigation for two environmental compliance charges related to a missing piece of pollution control equipment. The new vice-president needs to analyze the root causes of the facility’s operational challenges and develop a plan to deliver on the parent company’s operational excellence strategy.