Williston Basin Petroleum Conference
PIVOTS TO FEATURE ALL SUBSURFACE POSSIBILITIES
2019 booth at the conference.
2019 conference from the front.
It’s coming on three years since Regina hosted the Williston
“In the past, the Williston Basin Conference has had some
Basin Petroleum Conference. Normally, Saskatchewan takes
papers and technical presentations looking at these other
over hosting the event on odd-numbered years (the last
commodities,” noted Melinda Yurkowski, assistant chief
occurred pre-pandemic in May of 2019), with even numbered
geologist at the Saskatchewan Geological Survey. “But this
years hosted in Bismarck by the North Dakota Petroleum
upcoming event will have complete sessions dedicated to many
Council (NDPC).
of these subsurface sources of energy and materials.”
That routine was disrupted in a major way when North Dakota
“Of course we will also be focusing strongly on oil and gas,
faced hosting its version of the WBPC just as the pandemic
considering their importance in the Basin as a whole,” said Erik
began to have a big impact in 2020. Through discussions with
Nickel, director of operations at the PTRC. “But we are also
the Canadian organizers – the PTRC and the Government of
cognizant of the environmental, social and governance issues
Saskatchewan – it was decided NDPC would forgo a conference
that many energy companies are facing. We want the WBPC to
in 2020. In exchange for Canada agreeing to move the ND event to May of 2021, the regular alternation between countries
help address those.”
changed. Even numbered years are now when Saskatchewan
The trade show component of the 2022 Saskatchewan version
hosts, with odd numbered moving to North Dakota.
of the conference is looking for companies with innovative
Timing is not the only thing that’s transitioned for the WBPC. May 17 to 18, 2022 will see the event focus more strongly on all the sources of energy in the earth – from the potential for geothermal from reservoirs Canada and the United States, to
technologies in a wide array of areas. Oilfield emissions improvements like Methane reductions, CO2 capture and storage technologies, commodity extraction technologies – all will be of interest to attendees.
the burgeoning lithium extraction industry in Saskatchewan,
A call for papers is coming in December 2021 (deadline likely
to CO2 storage to help mitigate emissions in oil and gas,
late January 2022) and registration at the WBPC website
and, finally to identifying and exploiting other subsurface
should also begin in December. Visit https://wbpc.ca for more
commodities like helium and hydrogen.
details.
26 SASKATCHEWAN energy REPORT 2022
