Saskatchewan’s active drilling rig count on Feb. 28 was the highest the province has seen in over two years, since the days when the oil crash took hold in late 2014.
According to sister publication Rig Locator there were 75 active drilling rigs in the province, an uptick from the mid-60s level it had been throughout mid-February. With widespread expectation that it will be a long spring breakup due to heavy snowpack in the area, companies are trying to get their last holes drilled before the end of the winter drilling season. This is likely the last burst of activity before road bans start taking effect in individual municipalities and province-wide in mid-March.
In southeast Saskatchewan, there were 37 rigs working, including one working on potash.
Crescent Point Energy had 17 drilling rigs active in the region. It led the country with 30 active drilling rigs, more than the number two operator, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (15 rigs), and number three operator, Tourmaline Oil Corp. (14 rigs), combined. This is possibly the highest number of rigs Crescent Point has had, having hit 27 at points in the past year.
Crescent Point’s fleet in the region included Vortex Drilling Ltd. Rig 1 at Lost Horse Hill, Rig 2 at Weir Hill and Rig 3 at Pinto. Betts Drilling Ltd. Rig 3 was at Torquay. Red Dog Drilling Inc. worked at Wordsworth. Alliance Drilling and Oilfield Services Ltd. Rig 5 was at Viewfield. Precision Drilling (PD) had three rigs going, with Rig 146 and Rig 195 at Viewfield while Rig 156 was at Moosomin. Horizon Drilling’s three rigs included Rig 27 at Huntoon, Rig 33 at Hoffer and Rig 34 at Stoughton. Ensign Drilling’s Rig 360 was at Pinto while their Rig 650 was at Star Valley. Trinidad Drilling had three rigs working for Crescent Point, including Rig 421 at Torquay, Rig 423 at Flat Lake, and Rig 425 at Bromhead.
Aldon Oils Ltd. had one rig, Panther Drilling Rig 2, working at Bryant. Burgess Creek Exploration Inc. employed Trinidad Drilling Rig 424 at Kingsford. PD Rig 205 was working for CNRL at Alameda. Ridgeback Resources Inc. (formerly Lightstream Resources Inc.) had PD Rig 275 at Bender and Stampede Drilling Ltd. Rig 3 at Viewfield. Midale Petroleums had Alliance Rig 8 at Steelman.
Spartan Energy Corp. had Panther Rig 4 at Pinto, Tempco Drilling Company Inc. Rig 9 at Flinton and Horizon Drilling Rig 29 at Winmore. Spectrum Resources Group Inc. had Stampede Rig 2 at Minard. Steppe Petroleum Inc had Betts Rig 1 at Outram and Betts Rig 2 at Torquay.
Torc Oil & Gas Ltd. had two Trinidad rigs going. Trinidad Rig 427 was at Flat Lake, while Rig 428 was at Steelman.
Triland Energy Inc. employed Betts Rig 2 at Dalesboro. Tundra Oil & Gas Partnership had Trinidad Rig 9 at Antler. Ventura Resources Inc. employed Lasso Drilling Corp. Rig 1 at Carnduff. Vermillion Energy Inc. had Stampede Rig 1 at Pinto and finally Villanova 4 Oil Corp. deployed D2 Drilling Inc. Rig 1 at Pinto.
