Despite the fact that reserves of liquid oil will begin to be depleted in the foreseeable future, the earth nonetheless still possesses vast deposits of oil sand, a viscous mixture of sand and oil which has, until recently, been classified as non-exploitable. The Long Lake project, a pilot investigation into the production of oil sand has, however, been under way in the Athabasca region of northern Canada since 2003. Highly specialized production facilities are necessary, since the oil can be extracted only at high temperatures.

Dillinger Hütte GTS supplied four shell sections consisting of Grade SA516-70 for a pressure vessel, achieving an engineering superlative in the process: this cold-forming operation at the massive plate thickness of 238 millimeters constituted an extreme challenge for the four-roll bending machine installed in the semi-finishing shops at Dillingen. Dillinger Hütte is also involved in the supply of special earthmoving machinery for this oil sand project.