Western Canada drillers post hot month

Western Canada’s upstream sector has set a blazing pace entering 2006, setting a record for wells completed and total depth drilled.

To the end of February the four provinces logged 3,143 well completions, up only 16 from the same period last year, but a modest start in January quickly turned around in February when the industry completed 1,637 holes.

For the two months, wells totaled 11.84 million feet, almost 1 million feet more than a year earlier, and a 30 percent increase from four years ago.

Alberta accounted for 1,637 of February’s wells, including 1,211 gas wells, compared with 790 gas completions in February 2005. Oil wells posted a sharp gain to 306 from 174.

Saskatchewan had 311 finished oil wells in the two months (up 109) and gas completions climbed to 292 from 225; British Columbia surged to 116 wells in February from 73 a year ago; and Manitoba reported 47 completions in February, a gain of 312.

Once the North and East Coast were rolled in, Canada set a new record for February of 2,194 wells.

—Gary Park