ShaleTech Canada '15: Canadian exports take center stage at inaugural conference

CALGARY, Alberta -- ShaleTech Canada opened in the Tellus Conference Centre in Calgary with speakers emphasizing export of Canadian resources and know-how, with Canada playing an important role in the North America energy Renaissance.

ShaleTech Canada is a two-day business and technical conference produced by DMG Events of Calgary and World Oil, a publication of Gulf Publishing Company, based in Houston.

Activity levels are down in Canada, as pointed out in the opening presentation by John Royall, president and CEO of Gulf Publishing Company. Updating a forecast presentation originally given in Calgary in February, Royall pointed out that wells drilled in Canada will be down in 2015 by 36% from 2014 levels. The revised forecast was down another six percentage points from the original forecast of 30%.

“The trends we noted about the U.S. and Canada drilling markets have accelerated in the last two months,” said Royall. “Companies are stacking rigs at an even faster rate.”

Looking to the future, Ines Piccinino, assistant deputy minister of the Upstream Development Division, British Columbia Government, noted that British Columbia has total GIP estimates of 2,900 Tcf, with 400 Tcf marketable. A study by the provincial government showed that the province can support an LNG export industry with expanded exploration activity.

Piccinino pointed out that natural gas production has increased in the province by 33% even with drilling activity remaining constant since 2009. In order to produce 82 MTPA by 2019, 2,131 wells will have to be drilled. This year, World Oil forecasts 390 wells to be drilled in British Columbia, down from an average of 500 to 600. By returning to the record year of 1,435 wells drilled in 2006, the province can maintain production of 50 MTPA of natural gas for LNG export

Tim Leshchyshyn, president of FracKnowledge, a Calgary consulting and data company, encouraged export of shale expertise “at a time when gas prices outside of North America are higher and offer an attractive market.” According to Leshchyshyn, the nascent shale development in countries around the world offer service and equipment companies a good market opportunity while the North America market remains in a downturn.

Benigno Rojas, senior trade and investment director, Latin America, Government of Alberta, quoted a soon to be released study, which ranks shale markets outside of the U.S. and Canada. High on the list is Mexico, which Rojas noted has not only great shale potential, but the liberalization of the Mexico oil and gas industry offers a new and exciting opportunity for Canadian technology and service companies in the shale sector.

The Business Day of the conference took place on Tuesday, April 21. The conference continues with a Technical Day Wednesday, April 22, with sessions devoted to Production, Enhancement, and Monitoring; Horizontal and Pad Drilling; Multi-stage Fracing, Fluid and Formation Evaluation; The Environment.