Taciuk processor arrives at Stuart oil shale project; stage I pilot flow to hit 4,500 b/d.

The Alberta Taciuk Processor (ATP) to be used in the first stage of the Stuart oil shale joint venture in Queensland, Australia, recently arrived at the plant site near Gladstone, says Suncor Energy Australia Pty. Ltd.

Suncor Australia, a subsidiary of Calgary, Alta.-based Suncor Energy Inc., and operator for the three-company Stuart development group, says the C$250 million ATP - the core-processing unit of their effort to recover oil from shale - is a critical factor in the economic success of the project.

"It was a major milestone for Suncor and its joint venture partners, Southern Pacific Petroleum NL and Central Pacific Minerals NL.," the company said. …