Attention Assignment Editors:

Video B-Roll Via Satellite - Long Lake Project Reactor Marks Heaviest Rail Load Ever to Canada's Athabasca Oil Sands

    TORONTO, Jan. 9 /CNW/ - The following B-Roll is available at the listed
times and co-ordinates:

        DATE OF FEED:            January 9 2006

        TIME OF FEED:            1:00 - 1:30 PM ET (11:00 - 11:30 AM MT)

        CO-ORDINATES:            Anik F2 C Band Analog
                                 Transponder 3B
                                 Audio subcarrier 6.2 and 6.8
                                 Downlink Frequency 3820 vertical

    STORY SUMMARY: (Edmonton, Alberta) OPTI Canada Inc. ("OPTI") announced
today that a specially modified version of the world's largest capacity rail
car - carrying a 1.5 million lb. reactor for the Long Lake Upgrader - is
anticipated to reach the Project site, 40 kilometres southeast of Fort
McMurray, on Sunday, Jan. 8. The combined weight of the reactor, including
fixtures, skids, and the "Schnabel" rail car, totals 2.33 million lbs. This
constitutes the heaviest rail load ever to travel to Canada's Athabasca Oil
Sands.
    The reactor's arrival onsite at the Long Lake Project concludes a
worldwide journey by sea and rail that began in August 2005 in Kobe, Japan.
The reactor arrived by ship in Duluth, Minnesota in mid-November, along with
other major OPTI Upgrader components, following a journey of nearly 20,000
nautical miles.
    The Long Lake Project is a 50/50 joint venture with Nexen Inc. and is
expected to be Canada's fourth and next integrated oil sands project to come
on-stream. First steam for the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) portion
of the Project is scheduled for later this year with Upgrader start-up in mid-
2007. The Upgrader will use OPTI's proprietary OrCrude process and
commercially available hydrocracking and gasification technologies. Through
gasification, this configuration significantly reduces the exposure to and the
need to purchase natural gas.

    B-ROLL TO INCLUDE:

    -  Footage of Upgrader and "Schnabel" rail car from Fort McMurray Alberta
    -  Interviews with Russ Waddell (Director, Community Consultation and
       Regulatory Affairs, Long Lake Project) and Jim Guthrie, (Construction
       Services Manager, Upgrader, OPTI Canada Inc.)

    STATIONS, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWS: Contact Alison
Trollope, Investor Relations Manager at 403-703-7522 (mobile) or 403-218-4705
(office). For technical information DURING the feed, please call CNW at
(416) 853-5615.

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and unrestricted news use. Comments regarding the content and quality are
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