Connacher completes Pod One turnaround

2009-09-28 17:27 ET - News Release

Mr. Richard Gusella reports

CONNACHER OIL AND GAS LIMITED PROVIDES OPERATIONAL UPDATE

Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd. has successfully completed its annual turnaround at its 10,000-barrel-per-day Great Divide Pod One steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) oil sands plant in northeastern Alberta. The company is in the process of restoring normal operations and again ramping up its bitumen production, which had exceeded 8,000 bbl/d prior to the turnaround. The Pod One plant, steam generation and injection, wells, and production were down for a period of four days during the turnaround. All vessels and treater systems were inspected and cleaned out and routine maintenance was conducted. The company also took the opportunity during the turnaround to conduct a number of SAGD well workovers. This work included the installation of one additional electric submersible pump (ESP) and workovers on five wells in the north pad, all part of the company's optimization program aimed at reducing steam-to-oil ratios (SORs), maximizing steam injection to specific wells and the location of steam in the wellbore, while increasing production in the affected wells. The company now has ESPs in six SAGD wells.