Member Spotlight: WSP
If you would like to have your organization, project or product featured in an ACR blog and Resources Letter, let us know! Contact communications@acr-alberta.com.
Partners in Development: WSP provides professional services for all stages of resource development.
What if you could have one service provider to help guide you through every step of the resource development process, from concept to completion?
With WSP, you can.
As Canada’s largest design, engineering and environmental services company, WSP has industry experts that can provide 360-degree support for resource operations, from land use and dam design, regulatory navigation and Indigenous
engagement, to final closure and reclamation. Our team of more than 13,200 professionals spread across more than 100 Canadian communities, are supported by over 70,000 additional team members in close to 50 countries worldwide.
Here in Alberta, our team of over 2,200 experts spread across 12 communities has extensive knowledge and understanding of the resources sector and the challenges it currently faces. Because of the breadth of our services in mining and metals, oil and gas, water/wastewater, environment, energy, Indigenous relations, and transportation, we are able to fully assess the entire scope to identify unforeseen risks and address them in the earliest stages of project development.
Taking a Collaborative Approach
Having been involved in developing projects from concept to completion in Alberta for decades, our team has had the opportunity to partner and collaborate with both public and private sector clients across the province. We’ve built strong relationships with companies and communities, cities and corporations, to address the technical challenges of resource development.
In today’s complex resource mining environment, partnership and collaboration are of vital importance. Working together from the early stages of the project can minimize risk, integrate innovation, and create solutions that are as valuable on their first day as they are on their last.
To deliver at the size, scale and speed needed in today’s development climate, from energy production and distribution to mining and water resources, takes collaborative relationships with companies that communicate with each other, working together to deliver the best solution possible.
Building in Innovation
To create a collaborative working environment takes adopting modern innovations that help design, engineer, and create smarter, more resilient projects.
As an example, the use of digital twins helps us create online project models that can be adjusted/adapted based on proposed changes to the development. These help all partners involved clearly understand how changes can impact the overall project in real-time.
Digital models also help us determine the impacts that natural and manmade disasters can have at the project site or local environment scale. As an example, we can use the model to observe the impact of a certain amount of rainfall over a period of time to appreciate how this will affect project and infrastructure resilience. With this information, we can determine what resilience measures or improvements are needed to protect vital infrastructure from failing during severe weather events.
Further, the use of drone technology has expanded rapidly. For mining operations, drones are valuable for things like collecting samples from tailings pond, eliminating any potential health and safety issues created by trying to access remote locations.
Drones have also become invaluable tools for inspections. Drones are being used for condition assessments for dams, providing thermal imaging to detect energy leakage in buildings, and the evaluation of transmission lines in remote areas. The visuals provided can give clear indications of any immediate or developing concerns.
As digital tools evolve, and the use of artificial intelligence increases, we’re using these solutions to help create smarter, stronger, more resilient built environments.
Expertise for Every Stage
To utilize the suite of available digital tools, and create a collaborative working environment takes building a strong team of experts, something our company has focused on creating. We’ve built a multi-disciplinary team of experts that allows us to provide a fulsome view of any project.
Because when you’re developing a mine, as an example, it’s not just ensuring you have the right concept for the extraction operation. It’s also the roads in and out of the site, the structures, the water/wastewater, the energy supply, the regulations, the reporting, the social license, and so much more. In today’s development environment, it’s vital to be able to visualize all aspects of a project, from concept to completion, to ensure both its short-term and long-term success.
Our Canadian team with local boots on the ground experience is backed by a Global operation whose experience in international markets support our local operations as needed. What we learn in other markets can help solve complex problems, introduce innovative new solutions, and identify unforeseen risks before they happen.
We need to continue to work to unlock the incredible resources potential here in Alberta. Our natural resources are a Canadian strategic advantage, and advancing our position as a global leader in resource development will require bold, forward-thinking leadership.
We are proud of the work we have done for over 60 years in Alberta, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue to help Alberta solidify itself as the place to invest in resource development, extraction, and delivery, and land closure and reclamation.
Learn more about our work at WSP Canada.
Thank you to WSP Canada for preparing this article for use by ACR.
If you would like to have your organization, project or product featured in an ACR blog and Resources Letter, let us know! Contact communications@acr-alberta.com.
