Capacity
554 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d)
About Groundbirch
Groundbirch produces methane, natural gas liquids and condensate. The natural gas produced from the Montney formation is situated 2,500 metres below ground, trapped within a mixture of siltstone and shale. It is located about 50 kilometres south of Fort St. John, British Columbia.
What we make
Groundbirch produces methane, natural gas liquids and condensate. The natural gas produced from the Montney formation is situated 2,500 metres below ground, trapped within a mixture of siltstone and shale. It is considered sweet natural gas, meaning it contains little to no hydrogen sulfide or carbon dioxide.
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How natural gas is used
- Shales gas (methane) is used for heating homes and offices
- Condensate is used by refineries to produce gasoline and diesel fuel
- Natural gas liquids include propane, butane and ethane
- Propane is sold to domestic and United States distributors for heating, crop drying, auto fuel and petrochemical feedstock
- Ethane is shipped by pipeline to petrochemical plants where it is used as a "building block" for a variety of chemicals and plastics
- Butane is shipped to refineries where is used as a gasoline blending component and as a fuel in products such as butane lighters and curling irons
Advanced technology: multi-pad drilling
Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and has the potential to displace more carbon intensive sources. At Groundbirch, we are using advanced, proven technologies, including hydraulic fracturing, to unlock this energy resource safely and responsibly.
We use hydraulic fracturing to create hairline cracks to unlock the natural gas that is tightly trapped in the tiny pores of the rock.
With horizontal drilling technology, several wells can be drilled from a single surface location or pad to access gas or liquids up to four kilometres away.
- Minimizes footprint and land disturbance
- Reduces need for access roads
- Reduces pipeline right of ways
Our approach
- We design and test the integrity of our wells to meet local regulations. To protect sources of fresh water our wells are isolated from the water bearing zones by two to three steel pipes, and a cement barrier to prevent oil, gas or fluids from escaping into the surrounding ground.
- Our leases are smaller in comparison to other operators
- Drilling typically takes between 10 to 25 days per well followed by hydraulic fracturing and then completions operations
- We focus on continuous improvement
- Exploring longer lateral drilling to minimize the number of wells required to develop a reservoir
- Dual hydraulic fracturing – the implementation of advanced hydraulic fracturing practices resulting in improved operational efficiency and fewer days on location
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