Production
3,000 barrels of equivalent oil per day
Gold Creek
The world faces an increasing demand to secure access to energy supplies. Shale oil and gas play an important role during the energy transition in meeting global energy demand and are expected to do so for decades to come as society moves toward lower-carbon energies.
About Gold Creek
The Gold Creek project is an appraisal and development opportunity located in the Montney formation, which is approximately 80,000 acres and located approximately between 15 and 40 kilometres south of Grande Prairie, Alberta. Shell has approximately 40 wells on-stream in the area. It is one of the most active resource formations being developed in Canada.
What is shale?
Shale is porous rock that holds natural gas and their liquid components. These hydrocarbons are accessed by hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking”. This creates fractures in sedimentary rock by using water mixed with small amounts of sand and additives to release the natural gas or oil.
Fracking technology has been around since the 1940s, however, it was not until it was combined with horizontal drilling that shale oil and gas became accessible. By drilling long horizontal wells, we can deliver more production from a single well and minimize our surface footprint.
Shale and the energy transition
Oil, natural gas and their liquid components such as propane and butane will continue to fuel homes, vehicles, airlines, large industries and manufacturers through the energy transition. They will also continue to provide key components in everyday products such as energy-efficient home insulation, life-saving medical devices and medications, and fertilizer, which enables growing crops to feed billions of people.
Our Shales business has positioned Shell to thrive in the energy transition by responding to society’s desire for more and cleaner energy that is convenient and competitive, while sustaining our strong societal license to operate and contribute back to society.