Even though Canadian oil giant Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU) has been a cash-generating machine for its investors in recent quarters, the company continues to struggle with one of its premier assets: Syncrude. The oil-sands mining and upgrading facilities for this massive project in Alberta have been shut down or not running at full capacity several times over the past few years, and it is keeping Suncor from realizing its full potential.Suncor's management has put together what it thinks is a comprehensive plan, but it has hit a major speed bump along the way: Its partners in the project are balking at the price.