2018 will mark the transition out of the downturn the seismic industry, and the energy industry in general, has experienced since 2014. The World Bank and the IMF both forecast modest rises in gas prices through to 2025 and oil prices may follow suit as, according to the OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report, world oil demand will increase by 1.3 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2018. This increase is 0.1 mb/d more than the increase expected from non-OPEC oil producers, including US shale operations. Energy prices are expected to rise any time demand exceeds supply, notwithstanding political and other unforeseeable or unpredictable events.
The good news is that our industry and the Canadian Association of Geophysical Contractors (CAGC) has survived, even though it is definitely leaner and maybe a little meaner too. We are pleased we still have support for our Alberta Geophysical Seminar and our premier event, Seismic in Motion (SIM). Both will again be held in September.
The Annual Geophysical Seminar held in Red Deer will be on September 12th and 13th – a fully packed agenda, including the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), Energy & Production (E&P) companies and Aboriginal Consultation Office (ACO); presentations on the general state of the Canadian upstream energy industry; and featuring our Keynote Speaker Dave Yager. See our website www.cagc.ca for further information and the full agenda.
The Seismic in Motion (SIM) daily field trips will be held on September 25th and 26th. Participants spend the day in the field observing the various phases and aspects of seismic exploration. Attendees can hear and see contractors performing seismic acquisition using the latest techniques and equipment in a typical seismic setting, all within an hour’s bus ride west from Calgary, AB.
Once again for SIM, we have teamed up with the CSEG Outreach Committee, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), and Energy Safety Canada (previously Enform) to host 150 students from the Calgary Board of Education (CBE). In addition, the program has been broadened to include students from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Mount Royal University (MRU), and the University of Calgary. This is an exciting partnership that produces an excellent opportunity to expose youth to an exciting aspect of the energy industry and understand some of its intricacies. In addition to students, we have hosted industry folks, energy company staff, regulators, interested stakeholders, and media journalists.
This event has been recognized for its educational benefits, earning a Mayor’s Award for Excellence for Educational Partnerships, and The Lighthouse Award – CBE’s highest honour.
This year marks our fifteenth year. The event has been hosted in Alberta from 2004 through 2017 with the 2005 event held in BC. It features all aspects of seismic – from surveying to line cutting, drilling to recording, and features special demonstrations of seismic explosive shooting, mulching, and observing a helicopter long line rescue operation. This event is put on by over a dozen geophysical contractors and is supported by the energy companies in a truly cooperative manner. Such an event takes a great deal of time, dedicated effort, and resources to bring it all together.
Over the years we have produced videos of the event, each running about 15 minutes. One was fashioned after Seismic 101, while another was set up to highlight our various occupations and training through Energy Safety Canada. Another was geared towards the youth attending the event, while another focused on our environmental practices. They are available on YouTube in case you might have interest in previewing the event activities. These videos have been provided for industry, regulators, educational institutions, and public stakeholder engagements.
The event is characterized as a day out in the field. Seismic activities have become increasingly segmented with various aspects separated by time and distance. Gone are the days when the office staff and/or even the geophysicists manage to get out to the field to spend time observing operations.
Walk a mile in our boots. This opportunity presents itself as a benign exposure to the seismic industry, bringing all aspects to one location. In a safe and organized manner, individuals are able to spend the day on the ground viewing demonstrations, presentations, and interacting with contractors who do the work and have the specialized field expertise. At the end of the day, a valuable understanding of the operational and environmental challenges involved in seismic operations will have been experienced.
It is the type of field trip that holds interest for many personality types. The demonstrations are quick and move along seamlessly, keeping the participant’s attention and interest. The flavour of the day is variety. Whether the individual’s interest is piqued by hands on learning, by visual learning, or by listening to presenters, this field trip has it all.
We limit the number of participants on each day for reasons of transportation and safety and it is generally fully subscribed, so if you have interest we encourage you to register early. Information and registration is available on our website – www.cagc.ca.
Hope to see you out there.
“BEFORE YOU JUDGE A MAN, WALK A MILE IN HIS BOOTS. AFTER THAT, WHO CARES? ...HE'S A MILE AWAY AND YOU'VE GOT HIS BOOTS.”
– Based Loosely on a Quote by Billy Connolly
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