CANADIAN FRAC SAND LOGISTICS & MARKET FORECAST SUMMIT
The rapid development of shale gas & tight oil operations in Canadian plays such as the Duvernay, Montney, Canadian Bakken and Horn River is leading to unprecedented demand for frac sand in Alberta & British Columbia. Whilst across the border in the U.S. frac sand demand is increasingly being met, Canada now represents the fastest growing global market for high grade proppant.
However, Canada currently lacks the rail, storage and transloading infrastructure necessary to meet the booming demand for frac sand, which is causing severe bottlenecks in getting the product from mines to Canadian wellsites. Moreover, there is a lack of clarity on the volumes and types of frac sand that will be required to meet the specific demands of Canadian well servicing companies and E&Ps.
The mission of the Canadian Frac Sand Logistics & Market Forecast Summit 2014 therefore, will be to bring the entire Canadian frac sand supply chain together for the first time to evaluate solutions for overcoming the logistical challenges of supplying frac sand to Canadian wellsites and to provide clarity on the volumes and types of frac sand that will be required in the key Canadian plays. Speakers at the event will quantify the volume, location and k-value of current and projected frac sand demand in Canada and break down the latest solutions for establishing optimal rail, transloading and storage infrastructure to overcome logistical bottlenecks. Together they will clarify the scope of the market opportunity for frac sand in Canada and explain how stakeholders at every stage of the supply chain from frac sand suppliers, to railroad operators, well servicing companies and E&Ps can take advantage of the latest developments in frac sand logistical infrastructure across the nation.
Day One will begin by examining the demand for frac sand in Canada by volume, size, k-value, sphericity and location to quantify the tonnage and specification of proppant needed to be supplied. The speakers will then provide details on the timing, locations and capacity of rail infrastructure developments in Alberta and British Colombia, followed by thought leadership discussions on factors affecting railcar availability to reduce bottlenecks and embargoes. The day continues with an examination of transload and storage locations in relation to the hottest Canadian shale plays, after which the speakers will examine transload operational efficiencies and storage capacity requirements to maximize profit margins. The first day culminates in a multiple stakeholder panel discussion about opportunities for collaboration and communication between industry representatives from across the supply chain to overcome frac sand logistical challenges.
On Day Two, the speakers will project overall volumes of frac sand supplied to the Canadian market after which they will consider the impacts of both Canadian domestic sand and competing US northern white sand on frac sand market price. The second day then switches its area of focus to retaining frac sand quality throughout production, transportation and delivery to consistently meet end user specifications. The speakers go on to discuss minimizing the cost of frac sand logistics, including a number of sessions on cost effective options for trucking frac sand directly from mine to wellsite to eliminate reliance on rail and transload facilities. The final sessions will present speakers breaking down effective equipment maintenance and cost monitoring strategies to minimize maintenance costs and identify opportunities for cost savings.