Geoscience BC, the BC Oil and Gas Commission, Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers have partnered to launch a five-year $1 million collaborative geoscience program to study seismicity in northeast B.C., Geoscience BC announced this week.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers will equally share the program costs, and the BC Oil and Gas Commission and Natural Resources Canada will provide in-kind technical support.
Led by Geoscience BC, the program partners will install a network to collect seismic data in northeast B.C. The seismic array network will include up to six new stations. It is anticipated that the installation work will be completed by late 2012.
The study aims to understand low-magnitude seismic events, or mini-earthquakes, which have been triggered in northeast B.C. by fluid injection during the hydraulic fracturing process associated with the natural gas industry.
'Lyn Anglin, president and CEO of Geoscience BC, said, "Geoscience BC is pleased to launch this important and innovative project. Developing a seismic array network in northeast BC will help address key areas of concern shared by the public, provincial government and industry."
David Pryce, vice-president of operations for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said, "Canada's natural gas industry supports increased seismic monitoring in the region that can assure the public and landowners that hydraulic fracturing can and will continue safely.
"Upgrading the grid is an important step to better understand seismic activity in northeastern B.C. and, by making this data publicly available, it will encourage transparent performance reporting."
See next week's issue of Business in Vancouver for more on fracking, how it works and why it causes mini-quakes.
