Alberta's Industrial Heartland
Encyclopedia
Alberta's Industrial Heartland, also known as Upgrader Alley or the Heartland, is a joint land use
planning
and development initiative between five municipalities in the Edmonton Capital Region
to attract investment in the chemical, petrochemical, oil, and gas industries to the region.
Alberta's Industrial Heartland (AIH) comprises 533 km² (205.8 sq mi) of land split between the City of Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont County
, Strathcona County
, and Sturgeon County
, as well as the 49 km² (18.9 sq mi) Edmonton Energy and Technology Park in in northeast Edmonton
. At a total size of 582 km² (224.7 sq mi), AIH is the largest geographic area in Canada dedicated to hydrocarbon processing. The largest completed project to date is the Scotford Complex
, which includes an upgrader, a refinery, and a railyard.
Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association (AIHA) was founded in 1998 by the City of Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont County, Strathcona County, and Sturgeon County. The City of Edmonton became a member of AIHA in 2010. The nearby towns of Bruderheim
, Gibbons and Redwater
are associate members of AIHA.
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
planning
Planning
Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior...
and development initiative between five municipalities in the Edmonton Capital Region
Edmonton Capital Region
The Edmonton Capital Region , also commonly referred to as the Alberta Capital Region, Greater Edmonton or Metro Edmonton, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred around Edmonton – Alberta's provincial capital....
to attract investment in the chemical, petrochemical, oil, and gas industries to the region.
Alberta's Industrial Heartland (AIH) comprises 533 km² (205.8 sq mi) of land split between the City of Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont County
Lamont County, Alberta
Lamont County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada, located in Census Division Number 10, northeast of Edmonton. The county contains 27 Townships. Its seat of government is Lamont.-History:...
, Strathcona County
Strathcona County, Alberta
Strathcona County is a specialized municipality in central Alberta, Canada between Edmonton and Elk Island National Park.It is located in Division No. 11 and is also part of the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area. More than half of the population lives in Sherwood Park, a large community east of...
, and Sturgeon County
Sturgeon County, Alberta
Sturgeon County is a municipal district in Alberta's Edmonton Capital Region, Canada.It begins at the north end of Edmonton, with 97th street turning into Highway 28. It extends east to Fort Saskatchewan and west to Calahoo. It is located in Division No. 11....
, as well as the 49 km² (18.9 sq mi) Edmonton Energy and Technology Park in in northeast Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. At a total size of 582 km² (224.7 sq mi), AIH is the largest geographic area in Canada dedicated to hydrocarbon processing. The largest completed project to date is the Scotford Complex
Scotford Upgrader
The Shell Scotford Upgrader is an oilsand upgrader, a facility which processes crude bitumen from oil sands into a wide range of synthetic crude oils. The upgrader is owned by Athabasca Oil Sands Project , a joint venture of Shell Canada Energy , Marathon Oil Sands L.P. and Chevron Canada Limited...
, which includes an upgrader, a refinery, and a railyard.
Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association (AIHA) was founded in 1998 by the City of Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont County, Strathcona County, and Sturgeon County. The City of Edmonton became a member of AIHA in 2010. The nearby towns of Bruderheim
Bruderheim, Alberta
Bruderheim is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located just north of the junction of Highway 15 and Highway 45, north-east of Edmonton.-Demographics:...
, Gibbons and Redwater
Redwater, Alberta
Redwater is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Edmonton on Highway 38, in Sturgeon County. Its population, as of 2006, was 2,192.Redwater is placed in the federal riding of Westlock—St...
are associate members of AIHA.