Industry Activity Update

by Jordan

Geology Lab Update

by Liz

Job Postings!

The Oil, Gas & Salt Resources Library (OGSR Library) has summer work experience opportunities for students or recent graduates in geology or earth sciences. Visit the links below for more information.

Geological Laboratory Assistant Posting

GIS and Database Assistant Posting

Ontario saw light drilling activity in 2023 with 10 wells reaching total depth (TD) within the year. Decomissioning activity was higher with 50 wells plugged and abandoned, while 58 new licences were issued.

One natural gas storage well was drilled to total depth, 726.3 metres (Salina Grp.), in Moore township of Lambton County. The remaining nine wells reaching total depth in 2023 were stratigraphic test wells (see red dots in figure 1 for all TDs). One test was drilled to a depth of 237.6 metres in Humberstone township, Welland County, targeting the Clinton group of the Silurian geological period. Eight stratigraphic tests reached total depths of about 20 metres each in Ernestown township, Lennox / Addington, near Millhaven, Ontario west of Kingston.
Plugging activity saw 15 wells plugged from Lake Erie and 35 wells plugged onshore (see triangles in figure 1); including 11 wells in Haldimand, 10 wells in Lambton, 8 wells in Lennox/Addington, 7 wells in Norfolk, 7 wells in Welland, 2 wells in Elgin, 2 wells in Essex, 2 wells in Kent, and one well in Brant counties. 25 of the abandoned wells were natural gas producers, 12 were oil producers (include 5 historical old producers), 8 were stratigraphic tests, 2 were gas shows, one natural gas storage well, one brine disposal well, and one other.

A total of 58 new licences were reported issued in 2023 (open circles in figure 1), of which 30 were for existing wells and 28 were for new boreholes to be drilled. Three licences for new borings were for new pool wildcat drilling, two targeting Devonian and one targeting Silurian. One licence was issued for a new brine well, three for new observation wells, one for a private gas well, and the remaining 20 for stratigraphic tests.
Stay subscribed to the OGSR Library’s Wireline newsletter to learn the results of these newly issued licences in 2024!

We released some exciting videos in 2023, pushing the virtual reality format forward and continuing to release presentation videos from OPI’s EPEX conference. Below is a summary of last year’s releases as well as a preview of what we are working on for 2024. Break out an old pair of 3D glasses to view the pictures in this section in 3D!

Image from VR Microscope: Exploring like a Geologist in 3D. Click to view video.

New Work for Virtual Reality

Made in 3D for virtual reality helmets, VR Microscope: Exploring like a Geologist in 3D was released at the end of 2023. Combining images of different rock types found in Ontario under the microscope with graphics and narration as a guide, this video provides a great intro to the geology of Ontario, and how geologists use rock chip samples in the lab. Explore the characteristics of the various rock types and witness lab testing with acid and alizarin red. All rock samples featured come from our vast collection in our warehouse.

Image from Mystery Falls: My First Fieldtrip. Click to view video.

Our latest video release for VR is a field trip to the Ausable River Valley and Mystery Falls Trails to explore the geology of the area. Filmed in the fall with all the bright colored leaves, it follows our summer staff on their first geology focused fieldtrip as they discuss their observations at this beautiful location. Watch it on our YouTube Chanel today! 

Image from upcoming VR core focused video

We have an upcoming VR video about core and how it’s used, more field trips, and much more to come in this exciting and immersive format.

Click image to view EPEX 2023 playlist

Another Year of Great EPEX Presentations

10 new videos were released on YouTube from last year’s EPEX conference. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is still the most popular topic, with Zain Javed from Bedrock Energy’s presentation on their CAES project getting the most views so far, followed by an overview of cavern storage in Ontario presented by Terry Carter and Ben Barnes, and rounding out the top three of the year is Coleman Hale from Lonquist & Co. presenting on the Hydrogen supplement to CSA Z341.

We have been documenting and releasing these presentations from EPEX since 2018. Since then the three most watched videos are all CAES related: Eric Tharumalingam’s talk Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) from 2018, Katherine Peretick’s talk about the NRStor CAES project Learnings from #1 and the Future of the Technology, and Allan Fogwill’s talk Economic Perspective on Compressed Air Energy Storage. Will a new hot topic emerge this year?

EPEX 2024 is right around the corner, and there will be another exciting lineup of speakers discussing the latest and most important topics related to Ontario’s energy industry. Be prepared for this year’s discussions by catching up on the last conference and all previous years. 

The GIS team at the library had a busy 2023, and we have even more to look forward to this year! Our 3D printing lab has been working non-stop and the library has gotten to work on a number of exciting new projects and client requests. Each new project brings with it brand new challenges, and the staff at the library have been experimenting and discovering new methods of approaching a 3D print and enhancing its outcome. Our lab has also grown recently with the addition of several new printers that have many new features. With it comes a massive advancement in our printing speed and the use of multiple colours on a single print.

So many colours!

This year will also mark the return of the annual Pools & Pipelines map. Make sure to check the newsletter to read about upcoming availability. 

The library is also continuing with scanning of geophysical logs that are available digitally, as well as converting them into LAS files that can be purchased. Keep an eye on your favourite wells as this effort is ongoing. 

Greetings from the OGSR Library! I'm Elizabeth Lenkic, and I'm excited to share a little bit of my varied work as your Geological Laboratory Assistant. I'm currently working with experts in geophysics on the Cambrian III project, which is an ongoing effort that aims to shed light on southern Ontario's deep Paleozoic geology. My main responsibility is to carefully examine geophysical logs in order to identify Cambrian tops within 300 key wells.

In addition, I'm also deeply involved in an exciting project with GSC, delving into the rich geological narrative of Baffin Island through the lens of augmented reality. My contribution involves crafting immersive narratives by integrating 3D models into our storytelling platform, offering a captivating journey through Baffin Island's geological evolution spanning billions of years.

Beyond these captivating projects, my days are filled with tasks around the laboratory. I cut samples for clients, take photos of cores, and make sure everything is clean and organized. It's a busy but rewarding job, and I'm proud to be part of it!