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Rig activity starts going

With a relatively dry spring, Saskatchewan’s drilling rig fleet is starting to get going again. According to sister publication Rig Locator (www.riglocator.
Panther Drilling 2
Panther Drilling Rig 2 is one of the first out of the gate, drilling for Aldon Oils Ltd. west of Lampman on May 21. Photo by Brian Zinchuk

With a relatively dry spring, Saskatchewan’s drilling rig fleet is starting to get going again.

According to sister publication Rig Locator (www.riglocator.ca), there were seven rigs working in southeast Saskatchewan as of May 19, just before the long weekend.

Spartan Energy Corp. is the early leader, with three rigs working in the region. Tempco Drilling Company Inc. Rig 9 in the Hazelwood area for Spartan. Horizon Drilling Rig 29 was drilling south of Arcola. Panther Drilling Corp. Rig 4 was west of Alameda in its usual stomping grounds.

A second Panther Rig, Rig 2, was drilling just west of Lampman for Weyburn-based Aldon Oils Ltd.

Stampede Drilling Rig 1 was drilling southeast of Carnduff in the Workman area for Estevan-based Fire Sky Energy Inc. Stampede expects its other two rigs to be going to work shortly.

Crescent Point Energy Corp. hasn’t gotten going in a big way yet. The company that, for the past several years, has led drilling in all of Canada, had just Trinidad Drilling Ltd. Rig 423, working south of Torquay. Once Crescent Point fires up, the province’s numbers will likely balloon.

One more rig, Ensign Drilling Inc. Rig 689, was working in it usual area, drilling for potash near Esterhazy.

In southwest Saskatchewan, two rigs were working, both near Gull Lake. Vital Energy Inc. had Savanna Drilling Canada’s Rig 419, while Whitecap Resources Inc. employed Bonanza Drilling Inc.’s Rig 7.

In west central Saskatchewan, between the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers, Raging River Exploration Inc. had Savanna Rig 439 in the Plato area and Savanna Rig 441 southwest of Kerrobert. Whitecap had two rigs near Kerrobert – Bonanza Rig 2 and Ensign Rig 352.

Teine Energy Ltd. had two rigs, Ensign Rig 356 south of Kerrobert, and Ensign 349 near Dodsland.

At Cactus Lake, Sphere Energy Corp. had Savanna Rig 435.

Husky Energy had one rig, Precision Drilling Rig 197, north of Maidstone. Northwest of that, West Lake Energy Corp. had Star Valley Drilling Ltd. Rig 101 working.

The oilpatch has every so slowly been creeping towards North Battleford. That was evidenced by Akita Drilling Rig 29 working south of Meota for Serafina Energy Ltd. 

There was no drilling activity to report yet in southwest Manitoba.