The Western Canadian sedimentary basins of Montney and Duvernay are renowned for their unconventional oil and gas resources. Montney is found in Northeast British Columbia and Northwestern Alberta, while Duvernay is situated in Central Alberta. Both basins are highly sought after by the Canadian unconventional oil and gas industry, with Montney being rich in natural gas, oil and natural gas liquids from the Early Triassic period, and Duvernay boasting high-quality light oil and liquids-rich natural gas from the Devonian age. Their abundant resources and potential for growth have made Montney and Duvernay the primary drivers of unconventional oil and gas production in Canada, making them the industry’s focal points.
The Montney
Montney Formation is a major shale gas and tight oil resource. … This estimate makes it one of the largest known gas resources in the world and equivalent to 145 years of Canada’s 2012 consumption. Gas is produced from the Montney Formation in both British Columbia and Alberta.
This area is considered to have low break-even commodity prices and a favourable balance of natural gas and liquids relative to other North American tight, liquids-rich natural gas plays. The size of this inventory has the potential to expand over time as exploration validates the development potential of other geologic formations. Wells in the Kakwa region have exhibited high production rates of natural gas, condensate and other NGLs. This region is served year-round by a vibrant oil and natural gas service sector in the city of Grande Prairie.
The Duvernay
Duvernay Shale natural gas formation located in Alberta harbor 9.6 billion bbl of liquid byproducts and premium light oil. Duvernay Shale is expected to have more marketable oil resource (3.4 billion barrels) than the Bakken Formation in Saskatchewan (1.4 billion barrels) and Montney Formation in Alberta and B.C. (1.1 billion barrels).
The AER has subdivided the Duvernay Formation into two geological plays: Fox Creek corresponds to the West Shale Basin, and Innisfail corresponds to the East Shale Basin.
Montney and Duvernay Map
