EMERGING OIL PLAYS IN SASKATCHEWAN Four select oil plays are currently garnering a lot of interest in the Saskatchewan oil and gas sector. These are far from the only active plays in the province, but are considered to be the “hottest” at the moment. The map indicates the location of these plays within the province.
Diagram courtesy Geoscape Southern Saskatchewan
The Viking •
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The Viking Formation is a geologically complex unit consisting of interbedded, mainly marineinfluenced fine grained sandstones, siltstones and mudstones sandwiched between two marine shales. The Viking extends over most of Saskatchewan, but hydrocarbon production is restricted to west-central Saskatchewan in the Kindersley-Dodsland area. Oil was discovered in the Viking in the 1950s. Proven initial oil-in place is estimated at 2.3 billion barrels with recoverable reserves based on present technology (vertical wells and waterflood) estimated at 214 million barrels (nine percent). Horizontal drilling and multi-stage frac completions will raise the recoverable estimate, and is the reason for the resurgence in Viking development. Since December 2007, over 860 horizontal wells have been drilled into the Viking. To December 2011, these wells have produced 6.4 million barrels of oil and 5,405.1 million cubic feet of gas. Daily production per well for the horizontals is around 22 barrels per day. The depth of the Viking production ranges from 561 metres (1,840 feet) to 781 metres (2,500 feet). Average density of the oil is 840 KG/m3 (API ~ 36).
www.economy.gov.sk.ca
The Shaunavon • • • •
For over 50 years, the Jurassic Shaunavon Formation has been a known oil producer in southwestern Saskatchewan. Initial production came from the Delta field in mid-1952 and was followed shortly thereafter by a second producer in the Eastend field later in the same year. To the end of 2011, there have been 2,748 wells drilled into and at some time produced from the Shaunavon. Total production from the Shaunavon is around 387 million barrels of 22 API oil. In the last five years, horizontal wells in the Shaunavon have produced around 12.3 million barrels of oil, and over 450 wells were drilled to exploit the clastic/carbonate upper member of the formation. Since 2007, over 210 horizontal wells have been drilled into the low permeability reservoirs of the Lower Shaunavon, with production totaling over 4.26 million barrels.
The Bakken • • • • • •
The Bakken, in southeast Saskatchewan, saw limited production in the 1950s. Since 2005, technological innovation has led to a major increase in production. Currently there are over 2,350 producing Bakken oil wells. Wells are primarily horizontal, with a multi-stage frac completion. In the past year, the Bakken produced nearly 22.2 million barrels of oil, and currently produces nearly 69,000 barrels per day. The 38 API oil is hosted in very fine-grained dolomitic sands and siltstones that typically have about 10-15 percent intergranular porosity, and permeability less than one millidarcy. Two companies, Crescent Point Energy Corp. and PetroBakken Energy Ltd., hold the majority of Bakken production in the province. The remainder is split between many smaller players.
The Birdbear • • • • • • •
In Saskatchewan, hydrocarbons are produced from two widely separated areas, southeastern Saskatchewan and west-central Saskatchewan. The Birdbear Formation in the southeast has yielded in total about 7.2 million barrels of lighter oil, of which 86 percent is produced from the Hummingbird and Kisbey Birdbear pools that are structural traps associated with multiple-stage salt solution and collapse. Heavy oil has been intermittently produced from the Birdbear in west-central Saskatchewan since 1968. The recent application of horizontal technology in west-central Saskatchewan resulted in a sharp increase in average daily production. Heavy oil production increased from 30 barrels per day in January 2008 to over 4,840 barrels per day in December 2011. The success has sparked exploration in the Birdbear subcrop area along the undip erosional edge between Macklin and Unity, where the top of the Birdbear is truncated by the sub-Cretaceous unconformity. The Birdbear represents the last phase of upper Devonian carbonate sedimentation. Oil is produced from the upper portion of the Birdbear that correlates with the Nisku Formation of the Alberta Basin.
Want to know more? Contact: Saskatchewan Geological Survey Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy 201 Dewdney Avenue East Regina SK S4N 4G3 Phone: (306) 787-2621 Fax: (306) 787-4608 Disclaimer: The information in this document is accurate as of May 2012; however the Government of Saskatchewan accepts no liability for any actions taken as a result of the information contained herein. Printed in Canada.