Tag: oil

Get the paddles!

Drill, Baby, Drill 6 Comments

Things have been looking really bleak for southwest Saskatchewan’s oilpatch. If this were a medical drama, this would be where the doctor puts the paddles on the dying patient’s chest, yells, “Clear!” and shocks the patient.

We might have just seen a little blip on the heart monitor with this land sale.

Whew! Southwest Saskatchewan sees more interest in this land sale than in all of 2025 combined

And yes, it is that bad. Most oilfield services in that region have either shut down or are barely hanging on. I spent an hour yesterday talking to the owner of several businesses in that area.

 

Keepin’ those lights on

Climate Cult Drill, Baby, Drill 5 Comments
Boundary Dam Power Station

Natural gas and coal kept Saskatchewan’s lights on during frigid weather. As in, nearly every furnace in this province saw its fan running as a result of natural gas and coal, right when we needed it most.

Also: Bronwyn Eyre inaugural recipient of new award for Canadian champions of freedom. She happens to be cohost of the Pipeline Online Podcast and a regular columnist.

Brian Crossman: Artificial Intelligence, the oilpatch, and John Wick’s dog.

And under the file of “I’ll believe it when I see it”: If elected, the Parti Québécois would not necessarily oppose new gas or oil pipelines

Year end interview with Scott Moe on energy

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Pipeline Online Podcast Ep. 24: Premier Scott Moe Year End

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe joins the Pipeline Online Podcast in his annual year-end interview. The discussion digs into the coal decision, Saskatchewan’s move into nuclear, carbon capture, interties to Alberta’s grid, and the Alberta-Canada MOU. The multilateral well program, oil production goals, Saskatchewan’s new energy and resources minister, lithium and hydrogen are also discussed.

What the Alberta-Canada pipeline MOU means for Saskatchewan

Drill, Baby, Drill 19 Comments

It has significant implications for Saskatchewan, including power generation, interties, nuclear, and, oh yeah, pipelines and oil production.

What the Alberta-Canada pipeline MOU means for Saskatchewan

Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding, verbatim

Carney’s speech on the Canada-Alberta pipeline MOU, verbatim

Canadian Press:

Eby brands pipeline ‘energy vampire’ as First Nations vow it will never happen

Comments and reaction on Ottawa-Alberta pipeline memorandum of understanding

Is this thing the real deal? Guilbeault resigned over it! It was real enough for him to fall on his sword. I really want to write that story but I need to drive four hours Friday morning so it’ll have to wait.

Headlines I am considering:

Christmas does indeed come in November, as Guilbeault resigns

Ding, dong, the climate witch resigned

His legacy unravelled by Carney’s pipeline MOU, Guilbeault quits cabinet

Hot on the heels of returning from COP30, Guilbeault quits over pipeline MOU

At an end his reign is, and not short enough it was: Guilbeault quits (read it in Yoda’s voice)

Canada’s energy bogeyman quits over pipeline MOU

The climate house he build is falling to pieces, so Guilbeault quits

Climate warrior Steven Guilbeault undone by Carney’s pipeline MOU, resigns in protest

The guy who wanted you to freeze in the dark just quit cabinet

Arguably the man most hated by the Canadian energy sector (besides Trudeau) packs it in

All out of CN towers to climb and economies to ruin, Guilbeault walks the plank

 

I might just use all of them. I’ll probably have a half dozen more when I wake up. Maybe I’ll make a contest for the best headline.

I will publish his entire resignation letter as soon as I’m able.

If you can’t build a big pipeline, do you build small?

Drill, Baby, Drill 4 Comments

So it looks like a minor pipeline expansion of the Enbridge Mainline is in the works:

Enbridge has no plans to apply for national interest project as it tackles expansions.

And one of the companies that feeds those pipelines is Canadian Natural Resources:

Canadian Natural president awaiting more detail on Ottawa’s climate plans

And here’s a nice little video showing life on a drilling rig.

 

Change is a constant in the universe, but many oilfield services are feeling the brunt of it

Drill, Baby, Drill 20 Comments
This is the heart of the Viewfield Bakken, just two miles west of Stoughton with Highway 13 on the north edge. Count all the wells in this two-section block highlighted in yellow. Half of those wells cover the other side of the road. The remaining are within these two sections. It is now possible to essentially replace all of those wells with just one, singlular open hole multi-lateral with two mile-long laterals. And three mile-long laterals are on their way, which would add one more section. In this case, there are 23 lease pads within that block (not counting the ones on the north side of the road). Similar exposure to the reservoir can now be done with just one lease pad. Google Earth.

My stomach has been tied up in knots for months as to whether I should write this story. In Saskatchewan, most of the oilfield jobs are in the oilfield services. And I’ve had more conversations than I can count as to “why things are slow.” It’s not just oil prices, which aren’t great. There is a major technological change that is happening that is impacting much of the industry. I finally decided people need to know what is actually going on in as fulsome way as possible.

I’ve always told my kids, “Do you want me to sugar coat things or tell it to you straight?” They’ve always wanted it straight. So that’s what I’m doing here.

The ‘next big thing’ is big multi-lateral wells – but the impact is devastating to many oilfield services

First good sleep in years

Drill, Baby, Drill 5 Comments

Coal Revival: “I’m going to stay,” one coal worker told IBEW

Coal Revival: “I’m going to stay,” one coal worker told IBEW. This is one union that is over the moon with the right wing government that just saved their industry and jobs.

More formal letter of support from IBEW:

Coal Revival: IBEW says coal announcement will ‘have a meaningful impact on the lives of our members and their families’

Part 5 of Upgrader series:

Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders, Part 5: Were the Regina and Lloydminster upgraders worth it? The two upgraders’ massive impact on provincial revenue

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