Hi sharky:

The management at Connacher stated a long time ago that POD one and Algar would be run at 9,000 bbl/d as their maximum. 10,000 bbl/d was the design capacity and to run them at 10,000 bbl/d was akin to running your car at it's top speed all day everyday. If you did that it would burn out. As we all know, the number of bbl/day depends on the Steam to oil ratio (SOR). Theoretically it is possible to lower the SOR with steam + solvent; or steam + methane injected into the mix. Steam + methane is being injected at one pad at POD 1; and steam + solvent will be injected into one pad at Algar in June or July. This we have been told can consistently lower the SOR's which will in turn produce more bbl/d of bitumen. POD 1 has an average SOR currently of 3.7, while the average SOR of both POD1 and Algar is 4.3 according to the latest information. Management has stated that ...IF .. the SOR at POD 1 was reduce to 2.7 to 3 that the production of bitumen could reach 10,000 bbl/d or more. Keep in mind that the SOR's in 5 of POD 1's wells are in the low 2's while the rest are above 3.

I would expect that if any SAGD plants are meeting their design capacity they would be SAGD plants run by Cenovus. Encana was the pioneer and expert in SAGD + solvent with SOR's running at 2.2 or less in some of their operations before Cenovus was created out of Encana's SAGD operations.

Cheers; Scott