1/2 Billion for LEASES " SA T of France ?????This looks good for PBG.... rumour SA TOATAL via Norwest is the owner of those leases... requires new technology to get at that oil.."PBG THAI" ??????
Norwest is working on PetroBanks THAI project...
https://www.ptac.org/about/ptalk0301.html
Heavy Oil
TIS results in Pilot Project
Norwest Corporation Selected by Orion Oil for
THAI Pilot Design Project
On January 23, 2003, Norwest Corporation hosted a PTAC Technology
Information Session to introduce its new, fully-integrated in situ oil
sands and heavy oil team formed to reduce risk in the development of new
leases and new technology. Shortly after the presentation, Orion Oil
Canada Ltd., a Heavy Oil Business Unit of Petrobank Energy & Resources
Ltd., called to discuss plans for the world’s first field pilot test of
the THAI (Toe-to-Heel-Air-Injection) process in the Athabasca oil sands.
Orion plans to spend approximately $4 million in 2003 on seismic,
delineation drilling, pilot project engineering, design and planning. By
mid-summer, Orion plans to apply for regulatory approval to build an
experimental field pilot.
Norwest and Orion subsequently entered into an arrangement under which
Norwest will prepare the project DBM (design basis memorandum) including
the design and cost of the facilities, wells, data collection, operating
guidelines, and spearhead the regulatory application for the pilot. AXYS
Environmental Consulting Ltd. will cover the environmental aspects. Orion
is providing in-house expertise for geology and site selection. Dr. Conrad
Ayasse, one of the inventors of the THAI process, is leading the numerical
simulation effort. Orion plans to locate the pilot on Petrobank’s recently
acquired 42 sections of 100% owned oil sands leases in the Christina Lake
area west of Conklin, Alberta.
Petrobank’s interest in THAI was stimulated by an earlier PTAC information
session on the process. THAI is a radical modification to other in situ
combustion processes. It combines a vertical air injection well with a
horizontal production well. A combustion front is created that sweeps the
oil from the toe of the horizontal producing well to the heel to
efficiently recover an estimated 80% of oil in place while upgrading the
crude oil in situ.
For more information on the THAI pilot, please contact -
Joe Aiello
Vice President Oil Sands
Norwest Corporation
phone: (403) 237-7763
jaiello@norwestcorp.com