Grande Prairie region is home to some of Canada’s top oil and gas companies. The city located in northwest Alberta, Canada within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 and Highway 40, approximately 456 km northwest of Edmonton. The city is surrounded by the County of Grande Prairie No. 1.
Grande Prairie is in the centre of two major liquid rich natural gas and plays, the Montney and Duvernay, two of the most significant plays in North America. The output from the Montney has doubled since 2012 and now comprises a third of Western Canada’s natural gas production. It is projected to make up more than half of the country’s output by 2040. The Duvernay extends under 130 000 square kilometres (km²) of Alberta, or 20% of the province. Importantly, the Duvernay Shale is rich in natural gas liquids, including condensate, which is often mixed with bitumen from the Alberta oil sands so the bitumen can be thinned and shipped in oil pipelines.
As a regional service hub, Grande Prairie is home to many major oil and gas regional headquarters and oilfield service companies. Companies such as ARC Resources, Canadian Natural Resources, Schlumberger, and Trican, as well as many local entrepreneurs, operate out of the region, servicing oil and natural gas activities in northwestern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and into the Northwest Territories. This large market aids in economic stability, keeping companies and employees working during periods of world economic uncertainty. Grande Prairie is in an enviable position with ongoing new investment and interest in value-add and diversification opportunities, leveraging our region’s existing strengths.
Grande Prairie Oil & Gas Permit Download
Wells Drilled 2021
Oil & Gas Facility Permits 2021
Map of Grande Prairie
The red are the areas that were active drilling in 2021.
Grande Prairie Oil & Gas Companies
The largest oil & gas company in the Grande Prairie region is ARC Resources Ltd. They are the largest pure-play Montney producer and one of Canada’s largest dividend paying energy companies, featuring low-cost operations and leading ESG performance. ARC’s investment-grade credit profile is supported by commodity and geographic diversity and robust risk management practices around all aspects of the business. ARC’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ARX.
Operators in Grande Prairie by Wells Spud 2021
| Operatator | Wells Drilled 2021 |
| ARC Resources Ltd | 108 |
| OVINTIV CANADA ULC | 48 |
| Tourmaline Oil Corp | 44 |
| Canadian Natural Resources Limited | 39 |
| NuVista Energy Ltd. | 37 |
| Paramount Resources Ltd. | 37 |
| Birchcliff Energy Ltd. | 30 |
| Pipestone Energy | 28 |
| Advantage Energy Ltd. | 23 |
| Whitecap Resources Inc. | 20 |
| Longshore Resources Ltd. | 19 |
| Hammerhead Resources Inc. | 17 |
| Spartan Delta Corp | 17 |
| Grizzly Resources Ltd | 16 |
| Kelt Exploration Ltd | 15 |
| Strathcona Resources, Ltd. | 13 |
| ANEGADA OIL CORP. | 10 |
| Rising Star Resources Ltd. | 9 |
| Ridgeback Resources | 7 |
| CONCOURSE PETROLEUM INC. | 6 |
| TAQA North Ltd. | 6 |
| CANAMAX ENERGY LTD. | 5 |
| Cenovus Energy Inc. | 5 |
| Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd | 5 |
| ARCHER EXPLORATION CORP. | 4 |
| Insignia Energy Ltd. | 4 |
| ORLEN Upstream Canada Ltd. | 4 |
| AMICUS PETROLEUM INC. | 3 |
| Enercapita Energy Trust | 3 |
| Prairie Thunder Resources Ltd. | 3 |
| Sinopec Daylight Energy Ltd | 3 |
| Cardinal Energy Ltd | 2 |
| KADEN ENERGY LTD. | 2 |
| SHIELD ENERGY LTD. | 2 |
| 2060547 ALBERTA LTD. | 1 |
| Canadian Coastal Resources Ltd | 1 |
| Corex Resources Ltd. | 1 |
| Glenogle Energy Inc | 1 |
| Hitic Energy Ltd | 1 |
| Spoke Resources | 1 |
| SURGE ENERGY INC. | 1 |
Drilling Contractors in Grande Prairie by Wells Spud 2021
The drilling contractor in Grande Prairie region is Precision Drilling Corporation (formerly Precision Drilling Trust). They take precise aim at the oil and gas fields of North America. It is Canada’s largest drilling contractor with a fleet of more than 310 drilling rigs, more than 150 service rigs, 20 snubbing units, and 11,300 pieces of rental equipment. Its contract drilling and completions and production units provide drilling services, equipment supply and repair, wastewater treatment (about 80 units), and on-site catering and management. Precision Drilling’s LRG Catering subsidiary manages more than 85 camp facilities catering to oil and gas crews in remote drilling locations.
| Drilling Provider | Wells Drilled |
| Precision Drilling Corporation | 212 |
| Ensign Energy Services Inc. | 121 |
| Horizon Drilling Inc | 71 |
| Nabors Canada ULC | 43 |
| Fox Drilling Inc | 33 |
| Savanna Energy Services Corp. | 23 |
| DC Drilling Inc | 18 |
| Twilight Drilling | 17 |
| Stampede Drilling Ltd | 11 |
| Excalibur Drilling Ltd | 10 |
| Lasso Drilling Corp | 7 |
| Nabors Drilling Canada Limited | 7 |
| Predator Drilling Inc | 5 |
| Ironhand Drilling Inc | 4 |
| Boart Longyear Canada | 3 |
| Ensign Drilling Inc. | 3 |
| Horizon Drilling Inc. | 3 |
| Savanna Drilling Corp. | 3 |
| AKITA Drilling Ltd. | 2 |
| Fox Drilling Inc. | 2 |
| Dc Drilling Inc. | 1 |
| Nabors Drilling Limited | 1 |
| Stampede Drilling A Division Of Matrix Energy Technologi | 1 |
Oil & Gas Field in Grande Prairie by Wells Spud 2021
Kakwa area of Alberta which includes Montney natural gas, Dunvegan light oil in Alberta’s Deep Basin. The Alberta Deep Basin is a multi-objective tight natural gas sand play area with up to 15 separate lower Cretaceous liquids-rich natural-gas-charged sand reservoirs. … In aggregate, Tourmaline has in excess of 1.5 bcf/d of natural gas processing capability within this plant network.
| Field | Wells Drilled |
| KAKWA | 105 |
| WEMBLEY | 98 |
| ELMWORTH | 82 |
| KARR | 61 |
| POUCE COU | 56 |
| VALHALLA | 43 |
| WAPITI | 20 |
| PROGRESS | 14 |
| ANTE CREE | 13 |
| SINCLAIR | 11 |
| GORDONDAL | 10 |
| RESTHAVEN | 9 |
| LATOR | 8 |
| MIRAGE | 8 |
| BEZANSON | 7 |
| DIMSDALE | 6 |
| LA GLACE | 5 |
| CINDY | 4 |
| GORDONDALE | 4 |
| GRANDE PR | 4 |
| PUSKWASKA | 3 |
| UNDEFINED | 3 |
| WORSLEY | 3 |
| BILAWCHUK | 2 |
| BONANZA | 2 |
| EAGLESHAM | 2 |
| SAXON | 2 |
| BEATON | 1 |
| CECIL | 1 |
| DOE | 1 |
| GRIMSHAW | 1 |
| LEDDY | 1 |
| RAINBOW | 1 |
| SMOKY | 1 |
| STURGEON | 1 |
| TEEPEE | 1 |
Oil Play in Grande Prairie by Wells Spud 2021
The number one formation drilled in the Grande Prairie region is Montney Formation. The Montney Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Lower Triassic age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in British Columbia and Alberta. It takes the name from the hamlet of Montney and was first described in Texaco’s Buick Creek No. 7 well by J.H. Armitage in 1962.
| Terminating Zone | Wells Drilled |
| MONTNEY FM | 396 |
| CHARLIE LAKE FM | 76 |
| SPIRIT RIVER FM | 24 |
| DOE CREEK MBR | 21 |
| CARDIUM FM | 14 |
| DOIG FM | 11 |
| DUNVEGAN FM | 8 |
| FALHER MBR | 7 |
| WABAMUN GRP | 7 |
| BELLOY FM | 5 |
| DUVERNAY FM | 3 |
| HALFWAY FM | 3 |
| WILRICH MBR | 2 |
| WINTERBURN GRP | 2 |
| BANFF FM | 1 |
| DEBOLT FM | 1 |
| LEDUC FM | 1 |
| MOULTON SD | 1 |
| MUSKEG FM | 1 |
| POUCE COUPE MBR | 1 |
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