Suncor and five industry partners are putting up about $165-million in funding for a new facility.
It says by 2017 it hopes the Water Technology Development Centre on its Firebag site will be up and running, testing water treatment and enhancing recycling technologies.
The oilsands company says the goal is to faster develop and commercialize new technologies and better the ones already made.
Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance brought the idea together and Suncor partnered with CNRL, Devon, Nexen, Shell and Husky to fund it.
Suncor says testing priorities are on minimizing fresh water use, and making SAG-D production more reliable.
Suncor will construct, own and operate the centre and work with the other partners on design, construction, and operations, including specific tests.
