Despite the best oil prices since November, only 33 drilling rigs are working in Saskatchewan

By Brian Zinchuk

With oil prices the highest they’ve been since November, 2022, drilling activity in Saskatchewan is not exactly flourishing.

According to RiggerTalk.com, which publishes data from the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, there were 33 rigs working in Saskatchewan on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

In southeast Saskatchewan, there were 16 rigs working, if you include one rig drilling for Western Potash Corp. near Lajord.

Saturn Oil & Gas, drilling near Manor on June 16. Photo by Brian Zinchuk

Harvard Resources Inc. had one rig northwest of Colgate. Crescent Point Energy Corp. had one rig northeast of Midale and another just northwest of Handsworth and a third several kilometres northeast of Handsworth.

East of Handsworth, Saturn Oil & Gas had one rig drilling.

Vermillion Energy Inc. had one rig working near Viewfield. Whitecap Resources operated one rig east of Benson and another southeast of Lampman. Aldon Oils had one rig northwest of Lampman, while Surge Energy had a rig south of Lampman. Midale Petroleums had one rig north of Frobisher.

Taprock employed one rig north of Alameda. Anova Resources Inc. had one rig northeast of Oxbow. Adonai Resources II Corp had one rig halfway between Oxbow and the U.S. border.

Villanova Energy Inc. had one rig working west of Storthoaks.

Notably, there was no drilling activity in the Torquay area.

Four rigs were working in southwest Saskatchewan, of which two were focused on helium, as opposed to natural gas or oil.

North American Helium had one rig at Success and a second at McCord. Whitecap and one rig south of Success. Crescent Point was drilling with one rig between Eastend and Frontier.

There were just seven rigs working in west central Saskatchewan, an unusually low number given the price of oil, the time of year and the fact there’s been no rain (rain will shutdown drilling in that region in a heartbeat.)

Prospera Energy Inc. had one rig within spitting distance of the Alberta border south of Alsask. Whitecap had a rig working southwest of Kindersley and another north of Coleville. Ish Energy Ltd. was drilling west of Coleville with one rig. Teine Energy also had a rig working east of Coleville.

Strathcona Resources had a rig close to the Alberta border south of Macklin, while Longshore Resources had one north of Macklin.

Drilling activity in northwest Saskatchewan has picked up marginally, with six rigs working. Alsace Energy had a rig working east of Lone Rock. Northeast of Lloydminster, Rife Resources had one rig working.

At Marie Hill, west of Pikes peak and south of the North Saskatchewan River, Cenovus Energy Inc. had one rig working. The had a second rig working north of Spruce Lake, and a third one at Vawn.

Strathcona had its second rig working at Meota.

According to private-sector forecasters, Saskatchewan’s real GDP is now expected to grow by 1.8 per cent in 2023, second highest among the provinces, and by 1.2 per cent in 2024, third highest among the provinces, the ministry said in a release.