Imperial gets new Kearl Lake permit

Article Excerpt

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $59 (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 892.0 million; Market cap: $52.6 billion; SI Rating: Average) can resume work on its Kearl Lake oil sands project. The company suspended development earlier this year after regulators withdrew a key permit, but Ottawa gave Imperial a new permit. Imperial owns 70% of Kearl Lake, while its parent company ExxonMobil owns the other 30%. Imperial’s share of the $8 billion cost is $5.6 billion, or 1.8 times the $3.2 billion or $3.41 a share it earned in 2007. The company will probably have to spend more to comply with tougher environmental regulations. However, Kearl Lake could still begin production in 2011 as originally planned. Imperial Oil is a buy. buy…