Evidence of meeting #16 for Natural Resources in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was neb.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
I just assumed that your association or BP would have some idea, given the nature of this hearing, what the requirements are for blowout prevention in the wells.
Vice-President, Operations, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
We could undertake to get that to this group.
As a partial answer to your question, there are typically three things that are expected of the industry from at least the board on the east coast: to have either full prevention and a remote vehicle system, or an acoustic system, or an automatic fail-safe system to operate the equipment down-hole. I'm not an expert on those things, but typically, at least one of those three things is intended to ensure that the equipment functions in the event of an incident.
If you need further technical information, we can undertake to provide that.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
We might have to.
Maybe this is going beyond what you know, but air brakes on vehicles are on when the vehicle is shut down. You have to activate the vehicle, and start it up, before the air brakes come up. Do you know if there is any similar type of technology involved with drilling that shuts the flow down unless it's activated?
Vice-President, Operations, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
I do not.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Okay, we'll maybe save that.
Ms. Drinkwater, do you--
President, BP Canada Inc.
It would be best to convey those questions to a technical expert on the matter.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Okay. Maybe I'll move then to relief wells, because Mr. Bagnell raised the question on those.
Mr. Pryce, I assume you could tell us about some of the challenges of drilling a relief well alongside a regular well while you're drilling. Is it a good idea? What are the challenges? What are the considerations that need to be taken there?
Vice-President, Operations, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
My understanding of a relief well is that it needs to intersect the well bore of an uncontrolled well, so that well bore would need to be in place before you get the relief well down there.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
You need one well in place first. I assume you'd typically want the well to be productive before you would be willing to spend that kind of money.
Vice-President, Operations, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Sorry, can you say that again?
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
There are probably two things. One is that you need the well bored there as well. But you drill wells and sometimes they're productive and sometimes they're not?
Vice-President, Operations, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Correct.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
Do you think it's unrealistic to require a relief well to be drilled in this situation in order to accommodate the safety concerns?
Vice-President, Operations, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
No, I think virtually every company has a relief well strategy for all of their offshore plans. It's not the only strategy, I guess I would stress. They are looking at all the other ways to kill a well, should it occur. But all of them in their contingency plans, I would expect, would have contemplated a relief well.
Conservative
David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK
As a final question, there are some Canadian firms who are already in the gulf. I understand there are some containment companies there. Do you know what Canadian companies are doing in the gulf to help out? How are they already involved?
Vice-President, Operations, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Sorry, I can't tell you. They don't share what their operations are outside of Canada. It's not something that comes into the Canadian association.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you very much, Mr. Anderson.
I thank all the witnesses for coming today. Your information is very helpful.
Also, thanks to the National Energy Board members, who I noticed stayed and listened to your comments. That's important too.
We will be back to this on the Tuesday after the constituency work week.
The meeting is adjourned.