Suffield

Suffield

Our operations on the Suffield military base in southeast Alberta date back more than 30 years. More than 9,000 oil and natural gas wells have been drilled and conscious steps were taken to reduce our environmental footprint in the area.

Today, most wells are underground so there is minimal disturbance to the flora, wildlife and cattle grazing on the land or the military activities in the area. It is anticipated wells in the area will continue to produce for 20 to 40 more years.

We have long recognized the unique biodiversity that distinguishes this area within Suffield. This recognition prompted support for a National Wildlife Area (NWA) designation for the area in 2003, and this designation directs our operations and helps ensure we use minimal disturbance techniques that mitigate the impact of our activities. To date more than 1,000 wells have been drilled in the 45,800 hectare NWA.

Our proposal to drill in the NWA

In November 2005, a proposal for our Shallow Gas Infill Drilling Development Project to a Joint Review Panel representing the Governments of Canada and Alberta was submitted by our predecessor company. The proposal included plans to drill about 1,275 wells over three years to facilitate production of approximately 125 billion cubic feet of gas that would otherwise not be recovered.

The Review Panel conducted its review pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act as well as Alberta's Oil and Gas Conservation Act and Energy Resources Conservation Act. The Panel issued its report in January 2009 which recognized our use of best-in-class practices for shallow gas development and concluded the project could proceed provided two conditions were met:

  • Critical habitat for five specific species of plants and animals had to be finalized by Environment Canada.
  • The role of the Suffield Environmental Advisory Committee must be clarified and it must have the financial resources to adequately provide proper regulatory oversight.

The Panel acknowledged the project could not begin until various activities were completed by government departments — including Environment Canada and the Department of National Defence. It also concluded if the conditions are met there is unlikely to be any significant adverse environmental effects from the proposed project.

For more information on the hearing process, refer to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry website.