Turboden Commissions the first waste heat to power ORC Plant at Strathcona’s Orion SAGD[1] Facility
22 October 2025
Brescia, October 22, 2025 – Turboden S.p.A., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group company, is proud to announce the successful commissioning of North America’s first waste heat to power project in steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) facility; the solution is based on Turboden Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plant at the Orion steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) facility operated by Strathcona Resources Ltd. (Strathcona) in Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada: the recovered heat is converted into carbon-free electricity, enabling the facility to offset up to approximately 80% of its current grid electricity consumption.
This milestone marks a breakthrough in the application of low-temperature waste heat to power within the SAGD industry—demonstrating that innovative ORC solutions can deliver meaningful energy savings and emissions reductions while operating within an oil sands facility.
“This project is a clear example of how proven technology can be successfully applied in complex industrial environments,” said Paolo Bertuzzi, CEO & Managing Director of Turboden. “Although Turboden has traditionally focused on renewable energy, we consider the optimization of industrial processes—through efficient heat to power solutions— a key area to create value for the Oil and Gas sector while reducing carbon emission. We envisage several similar projects will follow”.
At the heart of the project is a 19 MW single-shaft ORC system, custom-designed by Turboden to recover low-grade heat (~150°C) from a mix of produced steam and non-condensable gas, previously dissipated to atmosphere through aerial coolers. The recovered heat is converted into carbon-free electricity, enabling the facility to offset up to approximately 80% of its current grid electricity consumption.
This not only drives significant operational cost savings but also enables on-site zero-emission power generation while providing the cooling capacity required in a SAGD facility.
Strathcona, one of North America’s fastest-growing pure play heavy producers, is focused on thermal oil and enhanced oil recovery in Alberta and Saskatchewan. With an innovative approach to growth and a commitment to sustainability, Strathcona identified the need to:
- Improve energy efficiency
- Lower operating costs
- Achieve emissions reductions
Turboden delivered a flexible and efficient ORC solution that addressed all these needs—while reinforcing the viability of waste heat recovery and waste heat to power in SAGD environments.
This landmark project was developed through a strategic collaboration between Strathcona, Turboden and the Federation Group Inc., who served as the owner’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner for the project. The collaboration resulted in efficient project execution and a replicable blueprint for future installations. The project was also recognized by the Government of Canada with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund.
“This project demonstrates what’s possible when industrial innovation meets sustainable mindset,” said Ilaria Peretti - Senior Sales & Business Development Manager Biomass, Waste to Energy, and SAGD at Turboden America, LLC. “We’re proud to support Strathcona in reducing emissions while improving efficiency—and we look forward to continuing our partnership on future initiatives.”
This project is not just a first—it’s a model. With the capacity potential to offset an estimated 50,000 tonnes per year of GHG emissions (equivalent to removing approximately 11,000 cars per year from the road), the Orion ORC installation underscores the economic and environmental viability of waste heat recovery in oil and gas.
It also positions Turboden as a technology leader in the North American oil and gas sector, expanding the role of ORC in high-temperature, high-throughput industrial processes.
Following this successful commissioning, the ORC solution is now fully operational, setting the stage for future replication across other SAGD facilities.
[1] SAGD stands for Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage, a technique for extracting heavy crude oil and bitumen from deep underground deposits. It works by injecting steam into an upper horizontal well to heat the oil and reduce its viscosity; the heated oil and condensed steam then flow by gravity into a lower horizontal well, from which they are extracted.
