Senior oil and gas officials with the B.C. government will be giving Calgary-based energy industry executives and others a first-hand view of the future of LNG and related natural gas development and other energy industry happenings in that province at an upcoming event in Calgary.

The event, to be held on Friday, Dec. 6, and sponsored by the Canadian Society for Unconventional Resources (CSUR), is the fourth annual “B.C. Government Day.” It will see senior officials of the BC Oil and Gas Commission (OGC), Dave Nikolejsin, deputy minister of the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, and others, speak about opportunities and issues in the province.

In the case of Nikolejsin, he and Bill Whitelaw CEO of JWN Energy Group, will have a “fireside chat” about energy issues and opportunities in Canada’s westernmost province, said CSUR president Dan Allan.

Allan said the event, to be held at the Nexen Amphitheatre Conference Centre, located at 801 7th Ave. SW, will give oil and gas or service companies headquartered in Alberta an opportunity to keep up to date on developments in B.C., without the cost of flying to Victoria, staying in hotel rooms and related costs.

“The officials from B.C. will deal with 12 different subjects during the day,” said Allan. “You can imagine the cost of flying executives and employees to Victoria, especially given the downturn the industry is currently experiencing.”

There will be 12 government officials at the event, all with specialized knowledge about subjects of interest to Calgary-based oil and gas companies.

Of course, given the fact that the $40-billion LNG Canada plant is now under construction at Kitimat, with other LNG plants planned for the B.C. coast, a discussion of LNG opportunities is likely to be of great interest to those attending, said Allan.

He said the provincial government’s strong climate change policies will also be discussed, with the government committed to encouraging the use of electrification as much as possible to ensure that LNG from the province achieves the lowest greenhouse gas emissions in the world.

“The jurisdictions that have the highest standards [for natural gas and LNG development] will be the last man standing,” he said.

Other issues to be dealt with include an update on regulations in the province, an activity update, particularly involving the Montney play, a discussion of land use and resource access, a discussion about the province’s Liability Management Plan, similar to Alberta’s orphan well management initiatives, a discussion about Indigenous issues, an update on royalties and other topics. 

Seating is somewhat limited in the conference centre, so those wishing to attend should reserve space by contacting CSUR at 403-233-9298, by emailing info@csur.com or by going to www.csur.com.