Stephen Marsters

Stephen is director of the Daily Oil Bulletin. He started as a DOB reporter in 1997 and took over as editor for New Technology Magazine the following year, eventually becoming publisher of New Technology Magazine and editorial director for the JWN Media set of products. Stephen has a B.Sc. in geology and biology from Dalhousie University, an M.Sc. in earth sciences from the University of Waterloo and an MA in journalism from the University of Western Ontario.

  • Rig Release Count Declines 30% To The End Of November

    Operators across Canada rig released 4,559 wells in the first 11 months of 2019, excluding experimental wells, a 30 per cent decrease from 6,503 wells drilled in the comparable period last year.

    December 31, 2019, 8:11 AM MST

  • Rig Release Count Declines Close To 30% To The End Of October

    Operators across Canada rig released 4,166 wells in the first 10 months of 2019, excluding experimental wells, a 29 per cent decrease from 5,863 wells drilled in the comparable period last year.

    November 26, 2019, 10:22 AM MST

  • Producers Continue To Hit The Skids On Licensing

    Operators across the country licensed 642 wells last month, down from 858 a year ago, and the lowest tally for October permits since 1992.

    November 18, 2019, 8:37 AM MST

  • Contractor Operating Days Decline 27% To End Of September

    Members of the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC) booked 37,771 operating days in the first nine months of 2019, off 27 per cent from 51,411 operating days in the comparable period last year, Rig Locator records show.

    November 5, 2019, 9:53 AM MST

  • Crescent Point Narrows Guidance For 2019

    Crescent Point Energy Corp. has narrowed its guidance range for 2019 with production of 161,000 to 163,000 boe/d and capital expenditures of $1.225–$1.275 billion, reflecting continued operational execution and capital discipline.

    October 31, 2019, 11:11 AM MDT

  • Crescent Point Drills Most Metres To End Of September

    Crescent Point Energy Corp. was the top operator across the basin during the first nine months of 2019 based on metres drilled, including experimental/test wells.

    October 28, 2019, 9:32 AM MDT

  • Rig Release Count At Nine-Month Mark Down Almost 30%

    Across Canada, excluding experimental wells, a total of 3,744 wells were drilled in the first nine months of 2019, down about 29 per cent from 5,251 wells rig released in January-September 2018.

    October 21, 2019, 9:20 AM MDT

  • Permitting Counts To End Of August Down Close To 20% From A Year Ago

    Over the first eight months of the year, a total of 5,024 wells across Canada have been permitted, down 19 per cent from last year’s tally of 6,184.

    September 17, 2019, 6 AM MDT

  • Crescent Point Maintains Tight Rein On Spending

    Crescent Point Energy Corp. spent over $1 billion on development capital expenditures in last year’s first half, but its spending in the first six months of 2019 is down close to 50 per cent from a year ago.

    July 25, 2019, 11:17 AM MDT

  • Licence Count In 1H Declines; Alberta Well Permitting Slumps The Most

    Canada’s well licence count declined 13 per cent in the first half of 2019 compared to a year ago, as governments across the country approved 3,896 new wells versus 4,458 in the first six months of last year.

    July 9, 2019, 9:16 AM MDT

  • Rig Release Count Down Almost 30% Year-Over-Year

    Industry drilled 1,936 wells through the first five months of 2019, excluding experimental holes, off 28 per cent from 2,682 wells rig released in January-to-May 2018.

    June 24, 2019, 6:41 AM MDT

  • Alberta’s Rig Release Count Dismal Compared To A Year Ago

    Year-over-year rig release counts are down in all four western provinces to the end of April, with the tally off the most in Alberta.

    May 21, 2019, 7:26 AM MDT

  • Obsidian Increasing Cardium Focus In 2019 Capital Program

    Obsidian Energy Ltd. says it now plans to drill a total of 18 short-cycle, light oil Cardium wells in 2019, reaffirming its focus on the highest margin asset in the company’s portfolio.

    May 10, 2019, 11:10 AM MDT

  • Crescent Point Improves Balance Sheet In Q1

    Crescent Point Energy Corp. continues to focus on balance sheet improvement through disciplined capital allocation, cost reductions and increased cash flow generation, executives with the company said this morning.

    May 9, 2019, 11:23 AM MDT

  • Pengrowth Boosts Adjusted Funds Flow In Q1

    Pengrowth Energy Corporation reported higher adjusted funds flow in the first quarter due to a leaner cost structure and a 20 per cent increase in Lindbergh SAGD bitumen production during the three-month period compared to the prior year.

    May 8, 2019, 11:20 AM MDT

  • Crescent Point Is Q1’s Top Operator Based On Metres Drilled

    Crescent Point Energy Corp. was the top operator across the basin during the first three months of 2019 based on metres drilled, including experimental/test wells.

    April 24, 2019, 9:23 AM MDT

  • Kenney Calls On Industry To Increase Investment In Advocacy

    The oil and gas industry should significantly increase its public education and advocacy efforts, United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney said in an interview with the Daily Oil Bulletin late last week.

    April 16, 2019, 8:21 AM MDT

  • Licence Count In Q1 Drops From Prior Year

    Governments across Canada licensed 1,951 new wells in the first quarter of 2019 — down 11 per cent from 2,196 licences approved in the first three months of last year, although with a year-over-year increase in gas well permitting.

    April 9, 2019, 7:52 AM MDT

  • Metres Drilled Slumps Over 30% In First Two Months Of 2019

    Operators drilled 3.25 million metres of hole across Canada (excluding experimental wells) in the first two months of 2019, a decrease of about 31 per cent from 4.67 million metres in the comparable period last year.

    March 22, 2019, 11:22 AM MDT

  • February Licensing Rate Near 30-Year Low

    Producers across Canada licensed 452 wells last month — the third-lowest February total in the past 30 years.

    March 12, 2019, 9:58 AM MDT

  • Crescent Point Touts Cost Structure Improvements; More Asset Sales On Tap

    Crescent Point Energy Corp. says its 2019 capital budget is expected to generate over $400 million of excess cash flow, based on current strip prices, which will be used for net debt repayment and additional share repurchases.

    March 7, 2019, 11:20 AM MST

  • Seven Generations Surpasses 200,000 Boe/d Milestone

    Seven Generations Energy Ltd. reported average 2018 sales volumes of 202,600 boe/d, with liquids representing 60 per cent of total sales, and up 16 per cent from 175,000 boe/d in 2017.

    February 28, 2019, 11:09 AM MST

  • Well Permitting Rises In January Thanks To Spate Of Oilsands Evaluation Licences

    Operators across Canada licensed a surprising 960 wells in January, up about three per cent from 931 a year ago, with permitting counts higher in Alberta due to a spate of permitting for oilsands evaluation wells.

    February 12, 2019, 10:42 AM MST

  • Leading Operators In 2018: Crescent Point, CNRL

    Crescent Point Energy Corp. was the top operator in 2018, excluding experimental/test wells — based on metres drilled — while Canadian Natural Resources Limited rig released the most wells.

    January 24, 2019, 9:14 AM MST

  • Producers Rig Release Slightly Fewer Wells In 2018 Compared To Prior Year

    Operators across Canada rig released just under 7,000 wells in 2018, excluding experimental holes, down slightly from the prior year as a year-end slowdown in drilling impacted overall counts.

    January 21, 2019, 9:37 AM MST

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