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Diversification of energy is key to a sustainable future. Building off our strengths in oil and gas, SAIT will help shape next-generation energy while giving students the future-proof skills needed to empower future-ready energy.

From our programs to industry partnerships, SAIT is committed to championing change and leading the way towards energy sustainability.

Learn a better way and prepare for a career in energy and the environment through industry-focused programs taught by highly-qualified industry-trained instructors.

SAIT is committed to developing future-ready energy as the industry transition towards environmental sustainability. Join us in tacking the most critical work of our time.

We value our industry partnerships. Find out how you can connect with talent in the pipeline and make an impact on our future workforce.

Support your short- and medium-term projects with a practicum student. It’s mutually beneficial — you get the support you need while our students gain real-work experience.

At SAIT, we’re proud of our roots in oil and gas. We also know that sustainable energy and technology will be critical to energy security, economic growth and environmental sustainability as the world's population increases and demand for energy continues to rise.

As Canada’s first school of energy, we’re committed to advancing next-generation energy with future-ready learning options for all career stages.

Taught by industry experts, we bring together diverse disciplines to ensure that our graduates are equipped to create energy systems that optimize and connect all viable forms of energy in smart, responsible ways. Join us in tackling the most critical work of our time.

SAIT is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Global Energy Show. Check out the  Global News story  on how the energy industry is working to be more inclusive of all energy systems and the innovative technologies that will help shape the future of energy.

At 1:24 in the video, catch Dale Hanson, Associate Dean, MacPhail School of Energy, as he speaks about the energy transition.

Energy is at the centre of any sustainable future — economically, socially and environmentally. Accelerating the transition to an environmentally-balanced economy is paramount, but there’s no single path to getting there. Oil, gas, hydrogen, water, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, nuclear — all have important roles to play in the integrated energy systems of tomorrow.

MacPhail School of Energy offers world-class centres of applied technology. Equipped with over $40 million in specialized tech systems, our cutting-edge learning facilities will give you the job-ready skills you need to launch your career. Established in partnership with industry, our hands-on labs and facilities are used by industry for employee training. They’re also a vital component of our energy and environment programs.

Sponsored by AltaLink, SAIT became the first Canadian post-secondary institution to have a leading-edge simulator. With this innovative technology, our Electrical Engineering Technology students develop a holistic understanding of complex power systems and simulate various realistic and real-time scenarios. Sponsored by AltaLink, SAIT became the first Canadian post-secondary institution to have a leading-edge simulator. With this innovative technology, our Electrical Engineering Technology students develop a holistic understanding of complex power systems and simulate various realistic and real-time scenarios.

You will also gain experience modelling the management of electricity from a variety of energy sources including wind, solar, natural gas, coal and nuclear.

Comprised of four levels, the Cenovus Energy Centre was designed with industry input so it can evolve alongside technological advancements and remain relevant well into the future. When you're a Power Engineering Technology or Process and Power Operations student, you will train in a scaled-down version of a typical steam-generating facility and equipment found in industry. You’ll get to hone your skills in a wide array of equipment, giving you the chance to adapt to the varying technical landscape in industry.

The Cenovus Energy Centre is equipped with the following labs:

As a Chemical Engineering Technology student, you will access labs where you'll learn about the properties of fluids and gases. You also have the opportunity to train on and operate, chemical engineering equipment found in industry so you can hit the ground running when you graduate.

Gas-Absorption Unit This equipment is used in gas processing plants and refineries; it will teach you how to process raw natural gas to meet industry standards and specifications.

Heat Exchangers You’ll explore the principles of heat transfer and learn about various heat exchanger designs, their performance and how to select heat exchangers for efficient energy use.

PVT Cell Found primarily in test labs and research facilities, the PVT cell will help you develop an understanding of the physical properties of gases required to design processing facilities. You'll also learn how pressure, volume and temperature impact the phase behaviour of a gas.

Centrifugal Pump Centrifugal pumps provide the required energy for liquids to flow through process piping and vessels. You'll learn to evaluate the performance parameters and properties of two single-stage centrifugal pumps, which assist in the design and operation of processing facilities.

Heat Loss Apparatus You'll train on this apparatus to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of insulation and learn about the effects of colour on heat loss to assess the best pipes and insulation to use in various conditions.

Fluid Circuit Develop an understating of operation process facilities and the principles of fluid flow through piping. You’ll also learn about the relationships between pressure loss, pipe size and fluid flow rate and how it impacts pipe design and energy consumption.

Distillation Tower Our continuous distillation column is equipped with instrumentation and controls typical of those found in industry, allowing you to get familiar with control logic and function.

Aerial Cooler With applications in many process industries, you'll learn about the design parameters and operating characteristics of aerial coolers and how they’re used in a wide range of industries.

Refrigeration Systems Learn about low-temperature cooling systems used in industry and the operating principles of all the components in a typical industrial refrigeration system.

Compressors Compressors boost the pressure of gases in a range of industrial applications such as gas transmission pipelines and refrigeration systems. You’ll gain an understanding of laboratory unit operating characteristics through a bench-top, two-stage reciprocating compressor with variable speed control.

With seven state-of-the-art labs, our Electrical Engineering Technology students train in three major areas of electrical engineering: power systems, electrical design, and control and automation. In these labs, you will have a safe and controlled environment to gain hands-on experience with equipment sponsored by industry.

Fundamental Electrical Labs Here you’ll study the fundamentals of electrical practices, power electronics, digital electronics and electrical circuit analysis with hands-on experience using oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, motor starters and more.

Schneider Electric Labs Rotating machines, transformers and power systems — you’ll learn all about them in this lab.

Rockwell PLC Lab In this lab, you will learn programmable logic controller (PLC) Contrologix applications and become familiar with the Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus operator-interface terminal using Rockwell FactoryTalk View Studio software.

Schneider Electric PLC Lab This lab will get you familiar with premium Unity Pro applications by developing a project using basic instructions for the Schneider Electric Unity Pro system.

PC Lab Computer programs are used to help you understand the fundamentals of circuit design and electrical design. We use Multisim to teach you how to design and simulate electrical circuits. You’ll also learn AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical software so you can create and draw electrical designs. Finally, we use Luxicon software to teach you the basics of lighting design.

Each day, the oil and gas sector deals with environmental issues concerning air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, deregulation of industry standards and practices, consumer advocacy groups and achieving voluntary challenge goals. To address these issues, companies must have skilled environmental technical specialists to navigate and respond to these demands.

The Encana Environmental Technology Centre offers environmental training programs to industry needs and provides our Environmental Technology students with a solid foundation in environmental work, both in field operations and in the lab. It also gives those working in industry a chance to upgrade and expand their current enviro-tch skills using innovative environmental technology.

Equipped with a one-of-a-kind drilling simulator, you’ll have a chance to use advanced software and 3D graphics to create immersive visualizations of downhole drilling dynamics as part of our Bachelor of Applied Technology Petroleum Engineering and Petroleum Engineering Technology programs. You can also train on another prominent component, a Digital CTS 5000 Coil Tubing simulator that allows students to apply their knowledge to situations they will experience in industry. This and other innovative training equipment allow us to run alongside industry as new technologies emerge, helping to ensure a steady stream of tech-savvy graduates who are well versed in the most current oil sands and SAGD processes.

The Mathison Drilling and Geoscience Lab Suite includes a drilling simulator, a coil tubing simulator and more production-related equipment.

Used by MacPhail School of Energy students across multiple programs, as well as many of our industrial clients, the Rance Fisher Wellsite Production Education Centre is a state-of-the-art training facility.

In addition to extensive drilling, service, processing and control equipment, the Wellsite is also home to a modern 37-seat classroom where you will learn about all aspects of wellsite production and best practices.

This centre of excellence integrates labs and workshops for our Instrumentation Engineering Technology students to ensure you receive a world-class educational experience. You’ll have a chance to apply the knowledge you gain to cutting-edge smart instrumentation and control systems, networked & wireless communications, and advanced optimization software to help meet industries' toughest automation challenges.

Distributed Control System Lab When you train in this lab, you’ll get a hands-on introduction to some of the communication techniques used by devices in the industry. You will learn to configure and analyze modular control strategies and software applications using leading DCS technology and, in more advanced courses, to design an operator interface to monitor and control simulated process operations.

Analyzer Lab In this lab, you’ll have access to a dedicated space to test instruments that measure parameters like humidity, turbidity and gas composition that influence product quality in many industrial processes.

Instrumentation Workshop Here you have the opportunity to hone your maintenance skills using specialized hand tools and power equipment.

Process Lab This lab is outfitted with two new advanced compressor control training systems. These systems make use of patented Alberta technology that will teach you strategies to help achieve greater fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

Endress + Hauser Instrumentation Engineering Technology Process Lab Equipped with the latest flow and interface measurement technologies as well as guided-wave radar instruments and nuclear density profiling systems, you’ll learn about the fundamentals of flow and measurement in this lab.

Whether it's working in the field or in our labs that mimic job site environments, we pride ourselves on delivering industry-informed, hands-on training in energy and environment.

Check out our video playlist to learn more about the MacPhail School of Energy, our programs and the rewarding careers available in the energy sector.

From current student practicums and projects to alumni success stories, learn more about MacPhail's influence and contribution to the energy and environment sector.

Innovative research to help stabilize the energy grid using a vanadium redox battery is one of the winners of the Mayor’s Innovation Challenge.

Control system that brings classic industrial boilers up to modern emissions standards recognized by Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta.

Instructors in the SAIT MacPhail School of Energy introduce immersive digital technologies to enhance curriculum, better engage students and make them even more career-ready.

This small-scale treatment plant gives water resource management students big-picture insights into automated processes they'll use in domestic and industrial labs to address local and global water challenges.

SAIT’s Water and Wastewater Pilot Scale Treatment Lab gives students hands-on experience with equipment and processes found in industry

SAIT and partners have won a 2021 Canada Green Building Council Excellence Award and a 2021 Forest Stewardship Council Leadership Award

KA440, Johnson-Cobbe Energy Centre, SAIT Main Campus

We're available Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4 pm (Wednesdays open at 9 am)