About 30 significant oil and gas discoveries have been made in Canada's sparsely explored Yukon and Northwest Territories, says Canada National Energy Board.
Only four of the discoveries in the vast area between 60 68 N. Lat. have been developed, and few others have been delineated by drilling.
The board noted that assessment of discovered but currently uneconomic resources is subject to considerable uncertainty and may change with further delineation drilling and production history.
Norman Wells field in the central Mackenzie Valley, the area's only developed oil field, has produced 116.8 million bbl of the 235.5 million bbl of estimated initial reserves in Devonian Kee Scarp.
The board said Chance M-08 field in the Eagle Plain area of the Yukon most likely contains currently uneconomic volumes of 11.7 million bbl of oil. Chance field has a 517, chance of containing 17.9 million bbl and a 95% chance of at least 7.7 million bbl, the board said. Most of the oil is in Permian-Carboniferous Chance sandstone.
Cameron Hills field in the Southern Interior Plains area is also listed as containing uneconomic volumes of oil, but the figures are confidential.
GAS DISCOVERIES
Kotaneelee, Pointed Mountain, and Beaver River fields have produced, although the lone Beaver River field well in the Yukon is shut in.
The board said Pointed Mountain field has produced 301.6 bcf of estimated initial reserves of 360.1 bcf; Kotaneelee field has produced 36.6 bcf of an initial 176.9 bcf; and the lone Beaver River field well has yielded all of its initial 7.7 bcf. Most of Beaver River field is in British Columbia.
The three gas fields, near the junction of Yukon, N.W.T., and British Columbia, produce from Devonian Nahanni limestone with Devonian Arnica dolomite also contributing at Kotaneelee.
The board estimated the currently uneconomic gas resource at a median 676 bcf. It said there could be as little as 477 bcf or as much at 1.025 tcf.
Currently uneconomic values are volumes estimated to be technically recoverable but for which the economic criteria for development have yet to be specified.
Copyright 1994 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
