Suncor Fort Hills Secondary Extraction Civil Project - Area 2 Piling

Ledcor completed the piling scope for the Secondary Extraction area of the Fort Hills Oil Sands Project, supporting Suncor Energy’s production goal of 110,000,000 t (121,000,000 tons) of oil sand per year. The project provided essential infrastructure for the mine, which is expected to yield an average of 180,000 barrels of bitumen per day over a 50-year lifespan,

The scope of work featured the installation of 2,900 steel driven pipe piles and 160 screw piles. These foundational elements are unique in scale, with driven piles reaching depths of 45 m (148 ft) and diameters up to 762 mm (30 in).

When unexpected ground conditions were encountered, the project team collaborated with Suncor to adjust the piling depth and splicing program. Ledcor also mobilized additional equipment and personnel to manage the increased workload, ensuring the project remained on schedule despite the subsurface challenges.

This project was completed in December 2015 and involved 90,000 work hours.