NOTICE OF RESCHEDULING OF HEARING
APPLICATIONS NO. 1394112, 1409180, and 1481725
COLD LAKE OIL SANDS AREA – CLEARWATER DEPOSIT
Take Notice that the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB/Board) had scheduled a public hearing of Applications No. 1394112 and 1409180 in Govier Hall at the EUB’s Calgary office, 640 - 5 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta, commencing on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 at 9:00 a.m. On October 3, 2006, the Board received Application No. 1481725 from Husky Oil Operations Limited (Husky) and a request to join the application to Applications No. 1394112 and 1409180. The Board agreed to grant the request.
Therefore Take Notice that the Board has rescheduled the public hearing to commence on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. in Govier Hall at the EUB’s Calgary office, 640 - 5 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta. All participants in this proceeding must be present at the commencement of the hearing to register their appearance.
Background
On April 4, 2006, the EUB issued Bulletin 2006-14: Bitumen Conservation: Cold Lake Oil Sands Area – Clearwater Deposit and Peace River Oil Sands Area – Bluesky-Gethering Deposit regarding the regulatory process that it was going to use to deal with three applications that were before the EUB and the possible need for a broader bitumen conservation strategy in the Cold Lake and Peace River Oil Sands Areas. Since Koch Exploration Canada Corporation (Koch) has withdrawn its Application No. 1378856 to shut in Bluesky-Gething gas from one well in the Peace River Oil Sands Area, the remaining two applications before the EUB are
· Application No. 1394112 by EnCana Oil & Gas Partnership (EnCana) to produce Clearwater gas from one well in the Cold Lake Oil Sands Area; and
· Application No. 1409180 by Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) to shut in Clearwater gas from twenty wells in the Cold Lake Oil Sands Area.
In Bulletin 2006-14, the EUB indicated that it would conduct a hearing on the EnCana and CNRL applications and that it would invite all interested parties to participate in the hearing by contributing technical evidence related to the effect of associated gas production on bitumen recovery by cyclic steam stimulation. The EUB also indicated that it would convene prehearing meetings regarding the subject hearing and the hearing planned for Koch’s application (prior to Koch withdrawing its application). The EUB issued notice of the prehearing meetings on April 25, 2006, requesting written submissions from interested parties on May 11 and May 18, 2006. Based on its review of the submissions, the EUB decided that prehearing meetings were unnecessary. As noted above, on October 3, 2006, Husky filed Application No. 1481725 to shut in Clearwater gas from ten wells in the Cold Lake Oil Sands Area, and the Board has joined this application to the EnCana and CNRL applications. The Board has decided on the following process and schedule for the hearing on the EnCana, CNRL, and Husky applications.
Schedule for Filing Submissions
October 27, 2006 - Husky to file further evidence to complete its application
November 10, 2006 - Information Requests to Husky
November 24, 2006 - Response to Information Requests by Husky
December 8, 2006 - Submissions by interveners and interested parties
December 22, 2006 - Information Requests to interveners and interested parties
January 12, 2007 - Response to Information Requests by interveners and interested parties
January 26, 2007 - Reply evidence by EnCana, CNRL and Husky
Any party intending to file a submission is requested to provide one electronic copy of the submission on CD in pdf format and fifteen paper copies of the submission to
Ernie Smith
8th Floor, EUB, Applications Branch
640 5 Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3G4
Additional Information
Copies of the applications are available on the EUB’s Web site at http://www.ercb.ca, and at the EUB’s Calgary office. Subsequent submissions will also be posted on the EUB Web site.
To obtain a copy of the material filed, contact the party filing the material.
For information about the applications, contact Ernie Smith, EUB Applications Branch, at (403) 297-8128.
For information about EUB procedures, contact Giuseppa Bentivegna, EUB Law Branch, at (403) 297-8332.
Dated at Calgary, Alberta, on October 17, 2006.
ALBERTA ENERGY AND UTILITIES BOARD
Douglas A. Larder, Q.C., General Counsel
