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03-21-2007, 05:12 PM
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Red-light cameras OK'd
Saskatoon motorists should get ready to keep a closer eye on the traffic signals...
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Oilsands 'in every direction'
Company excited by bitumen deposits in northern Sask.
Murray Lyons, The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2007
AXE LAKE CAMP -- An Alberta company that has shelled out millions exploring for bitumen in northern Saskatchewan is excited by a deposit that shows fairly conclusively that the Alberta oilsands don't run out at the border.
Oilsands Quest Inc. has spent two winters building roads and doing seismic work and core drilling, including more than $40 million spent in the last five months.
Oilsands Quest president and CEO Christopher Hopkins points from his seat in a chartered Cessna Caravan on the way to his project's makeshift ice runway, indicating that Encana's Borealis oilsands project is only a few minutes flying time west of the border.
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Font: ****Hopkins and his colleagues say their work so far has shown that the formation that Oilsands Quest has been drilling into this winter is remarkably similar to the land Encana is exploiting nearby in Alberta.
"Borealis is our next door neighbour and they are only about six miles across the border and that project is currently in development," he said. "They are looking at an in situ project (where steam or a solvent is injected into the formation to make the bitumen flow to the surface), and we would say what they're doing is analogous to what we hope to do here.
"The resource that we discovered is analogous to what they've got. We're at similar depths and have similar characteristics in the reservoir."
What excites Hopkins, as he shows a 3-D model on his laptop, is that the 36-square-mile formation Oilsands Quest has drilled in so far may be just the beginning.
"We haven't found any edge. We're in the middle of something and it's extending in every direction," he said. "North. South. East. West. It doesn't matter.
"On average, it's running 20 metres thick. That's a good Alberta pay thickness. As a discovered resource, this is an amazing start."
So far, the bitumen samples being pulled have averaged about 14 per cent petroleum content, with Hopkins and his geologists pointing out that the bitumen on the Saskatchewan side is embedded in more of an ancient river fan sediment with more sand and less clay, which is harder to separate from the oil.
"We've got high average grades compared to most of Alberta's projects and we would suggest it is better than best by nature of the geology -- technical jargon for meaning better saturated sands and coarser sands -- so easier to refine," Hopkins said.
See today's Digital Edition
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Inside The StarPhoenix
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Weekly Sections
Weekend Extra
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Working
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Obituaries at Remembering
General Classifieds
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Subscriber Exclusives
Headlines marked with a are exclusive to subscribers.
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Today's Star Phoenix
Red-light cameras OK'd
Saskatoon motorists should get ready to keep a closer eye on the traffic signals...
[ more ]
Property tax relief coming in budgetProperty taxes too high alreadyMan admits to charges in high-speed police chase
More News Stories
Latest News
Back in courtTake a hike, Dion tells Liberal MPIf UN takes illegal action, 'we too can': Iran's Khamenei
More Latest News
Oilsands 'in every direction'
Company excited by bitumen deposits in northern Sask.
Murray Lyons, The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2007
AXE LAKE CAMP -- An Alberta company that has shelled out millions exploring for bitumen in northern Saskatchewan is excited by a deposit that shows fairly conclusively that the Alberta oilsands don't run out at the border.
Oilsands Quest Inc. has spent two winters building roads and doing seismic work and core drilling, including more than $40 million spent in the last five months.
Oilsands Quest president and CEO Christopher Hopkins points from his seat in a chartered Cessna Caravan on the way to his project's makeshift ice runway, indicating that Encana's Borealis oilsands project is only a few minutes flying time west of the border.
Email to a friend
Printer friendly
Font: ****Hopkins and his colleagues say their work so far has shown that the formation that Oilsands Quest has been drilling into this winter is remarkably similar to the land Encana is exploiting nearby in Alberta.
"Borealis is our next door neighbour and they are only about six miles across the border and that project is currently in development," he said. "They are looking at an in situ project (where steam or a solvent is injected into the formation to make the bitumen flow to the surface), and we would say what they're doing is analogous to what we hope to do here.
"The resource that we discovered is analogous to what they've got. We're at similar depths and have similar characteristics in the reservoir."
What excites Hopkins, as he shows a 3-D model on his laptop, is that the 36-square-mile formation Oilsands Quest has drilled in so far may be just the beginning.
"We haven't found any edge. We're in the middle of something and it's extending in every direction," he said. "North. South. East. West. It doesn't matter.
"On average, it's running 20 metres thick. That's a good Alberta pay thickness. As a discovered resource, this is an amazing start."
So far, the bitumen samples being pulled have averaged about 14 per cent petroleum content, with Hopkins and his geologists pointing out that the bitumen on the Saskatchewan side is embedded in more of an ancient river fan sediment with more sand and less clay, which is harder to separate from the oil.
"We've got high average grades compared to most of Alberta's projects and we would suggest it is better than best by nature of the geology -- technical jargon for meaning better saturated sands and coarser sands -- so easier to refine," Hopkins said.