Topic: How To Invest

Pat: Is OPTI Canada a good stock to buy?

Article Excerpt

OPTI Canada Inc., $2.10, symbol OPC on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 281.8 million; Market cap: $591.7 million), owns 35% of the Long Lake oil-sands project in Alberta. Long Lake has more than 2 billion barrels of recoverable reserves. That gives the project a life of over 40 years. Long Lake began operating in 2008. It uses steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) to bring tar-like bitumen to the surface. In January 2009, Nexen increased its stake in Long Lake from 50% to 65%. It paid OPTI $757 million for the additional 15%. Nexen’s majority share makes it the operator of the project. Also in early 2009, the partners began producing synthetic crude oil at an upgrading facility on the site. This upgrader uses OPTI’s own OrCrude process, as well as commercially available hydrocracking and gasification techniques. The partners believe that this method cuts the need for natural gas in the upgrading process. Nexen is fully responsible for bitumen extraction and upgrading at Long Lake. Long…