Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

9000 wells planned for heavy oil field. [Canada]

Journal Article · · Drilling Contract.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6709850

Beginning in 1983, Esso Resources Canada Ltd. will begin drilling the first of an estimated 9000 directional crude bitumen wells in the tar sands at Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada, the final wells being drilled in the year 2008. The area, covering 50 sq miles of extreme E. Alberta along the Saskatchewan border, contains one of the richest deposits of heavy oil sands in Canada. The company and future partners will drill the bitumen wells directionally into the shallow clearwater formation, which can be reached at approx. 100 m (330 ft). The formation contains an estimated 80 billion bbl of crude bitumen at a rate of 60,000 bpd for 25 yr. This volume of crude will be refined in an upgrading plant to 140,000 bpd of synthetic crude oil. When completed, the Cold Lake project will be one of the largest facilities for producing crude bitumen from wells in the world.

OSTI ID:
6709850
Journal Information:
Drilling Contract.; (United States), Journal Name: Drilling Contract.; (United States) Vol. 37:5; ISSN DRCOA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English