Word to the Wise: Drilling Overview – Regional Breakdown
June 13, 2023
Each week, XI Technologies uncovers trends and insights using our enhanced data and software focused on the WCSB. If you’d like Word to the Wise delivered directly to your inbox, subscribe here.
In this second of our 2-part series looking at the last 12 months of drilling across the WCSB, we’ll be looking at activity from a geographical perspective. (In case you missed it, here’s a link to part one: Operator Spotlight. To better understand where the industry is focusing investment and development efforts, we look at the nearly 6,000 wells spudded since June 2022 regionally, to find key trends and noteworthy insights. We ask:
- What areas are seeing the most/least drilling activity?
- How does drilling vary across regions in terms of well depth and meters drilled?
- What does activity look like in each region during peak drilling months?
A Regional Breakdown Of WCSB Drilling Over The Last 12 Months
How Many Wells Were Drilled?
If You’re Using the Interactive Version: (Click here)
Click a region to highlight the wells drilled on the map.
What We’re Learning:
Based on the visual representation provided, it becomes evident that the Athabasca/Cold Lake region boasts the highest number of wells drilled, totaling an impressive 1014 wells over the past 12 months. Following closely behind is the Fort McMurray region, which has witnessed the drilling of 714 wells.
How Has Regional Drilling Activity Changed Over Time?
What This Tells Us:
These 2 visuals help us see changes in how the distribution of regional drilling has changed over the last 5 years.
- Left: A visual comparison of wells drilled in each region in the past year.
- Right: Historical drilling activity in each region year-over-year, to help spot any significant trend shifts in drilling activity compared to others, over time.
If You’re Using the Interactive Version: (Click here)
- Left: Click a Region to highlight wells drilled in the last year on the map and graph.
- Right: In the graph legend, click a Region name to highlight the wells drilled on the left and map.
What We’re Learning:
Over the past year, Athabasca emerged as the leader in drilling activities, with an impressive 463 wells drilled. Following closely behind is Fort McMurray, which recorded 333 wells drilled, securing a strong second position. Meanwhile, Grand Prairie secured the third spot with a notable 233 wells drilled. However, when we zoom out to a broader timeframe, an interesting picture emerges. Since 2018, Fort McMurray has consistently held the top position for the most wells drilled, closely trailed by Sask Area II
How Does Activity Compare Between Regions During Peak Drill Times?
What This Tells Us:
The 5 most active months for ‘Number of Wells Spudded’, and a regional breakdown of wells in each of those months.
- Left: The number of wells spudded, summarized by calendar month.
- Right: For each region, the number of wells spudded during those peak months.
If You’re Using the Interactive Version: (Click here)
- Left: Click a Month to show on the map, the number of wells drilled in each region.
- Right: Hover over the pie sections for a quick count on wells drilled in a region for a given month. Click a pie section to highlight the wells drilled in that month/region.
What We’re Learning:
This section provides valuable insights into the optimal drilling periods throughout the year. It reveals that February experiences the highest level of drilling activity, closely followed by January. As we move into the latter half of the year, September and October emerge as the third and fourth most active months for drilling operations, respectively.
How Much Drilling (In Metres) Is Happening in Each Region?
What This Tells Us:
Measuring the number of wells drilled in a region gives one perspective of drilling activity. When considering the depth & complexity of those wells, we draw a very different picture when looking at where drilling is most active.
If You’re Using the Interactive Version: (Click here)
- Hover over each region for a quick summary of: wells drilled and total metres drilled.
- Click a region to highlight it on both visuals.
What We’re Learning:
In terms of both well count and metres drilled, Athabasca/Cold Lake region is far and above the most heavily targeted. Looking closer however, the regional rankings do shift dramatically when comparing regional well counts (Figure 1).
For example, Fort McMurray was the 2nd most drilled in terms of well count, but 8th for metres drilled. Inversely, (and somewhat expected, given the zones targeted and horizontal reach) we see that Peace River/Slave Lake ranks 2nd in metres drilled, but ranked 6th in well count.
How Does Well Depth Vary Across Regions?
What This Tells Us:
The average depth in metres (measured, not TVD) for each region among all wells drilled in the last year.
If You’re Using the Interactive Version: (Click here)
- Hover over each region for a quick summary of: wells drilled, total metres drilled, and average well depth.
- Click a region to highlight it on both visuals.
What We’re Learning:
Emphasizing the results above in Figure 5, these results help draw out the ‘drilling profiles’ of various regions across the WCSB. Highlighted here, are the top regions for deepest well depth on average: Grande Prairie, Central Alberta, and Foothills.
______________
Grande Prairie, Central Alberta, and Foothills represent the most high– profile plays in WCSB today, in terms of capital spending, and drilling advancement/technology.
As companies continue to invest and innovate in the drilling space, these reports help illustrate successes in their ability to:
- Reach deeper targets and access more production with a single drill
- Improve efficiency and stretch drilling budgets further to drill more wells
Eliminate inefficiencies and minimize the cost associated with tour research and get nearly 180,000 digitized well records accessible at the click of a button using XI’s OffsetAnalyst
To learn more, visit our website or contact XI Technologies.