Message from the Minister of Energy and Resources, Bronwyn Eyre

Firstly, I would like to thank members of the Saskatchewan energy sector and their families, for your resilience in the face of so many challenges over the past few years. Despite those challenges, I would encourage you to spread the word to young people and those considering a new career about the strength, growth, and sustainability of our Saskatchewan oil and gas sector, which makes up 15 per cent of our gross domestic product and supports more than 30,000 full-time jobs in communities across Saskatchewan.

In our provincial Growth Plan, released in 2019, we committed to increasing Saskatchewan oil production by 20 per cent over the next decade. This past year, as drilling and oil production have come back online, we have built, as a province, on our traditional strengths, while continuing to diversify into new and emerging areas.

I tell our positive energy story wherever I go. Just last month, I was in Houston, Texas, promoting Saskatchewan to investors and stakeholders at the World Petroleum Congress and Helium Super Summit. There’s a lot to tell:

In September 2021, our government outlined priorities for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS), including for new, privately led CO2 pipeline expansions. As a world leader in carbon capture, particularly with enhanced oil recovery, we want to be the most competitive jurisdiction in Canada to invest in CCUS technology and infrastructure.

We are also looking at other emerging sectors, such as lithium. Global demand for lithium is expected to grow five-fold by 2030, and Saskatchewan is wellpositioned to make the most of its potential. Prairie Lithium Corporation, a Regina-based lithium technology development company, has shown strong results in extracting lithium from Saskatchewan oilfield brines.

Another strong, emerging sector in Saskatchewan is helium. In November, our government released a Helium Action Plan, which outlines how the province aims to become a world leader in helium production and supply ten per cent of global demand by 2030. In April 2021, North American Helium opened its $30-million Battle Creek Helium Purification Facility, the largest in Canada. In May 2021, Saskatoon-based Royal Helium announced a significant helium discovery at its Climax project, which has the potential to be one of the largest helium discoveries in Saskatchewan history.

Our government is committed to building our energy sector, including through incentives such as the Saskatchewan Petroleum Innovation Incentive (SPII) and the Oil and Gas Processing Investment Incentive (OGPII), which offer transferable royalty and production tax credits for innovative, made-in-Saskatchewan research and infrastructure projects. Under both programs, government investment follows up-front private investment.

Finally, in December, we announced the third and final phase of the Accelerated Site Closure Program (ASCP), with the allocation of an additional $55 million in funding to eligible companies. In its first 18 months, the ASCP, which supports Saskatchewan-based oil and gas service companies to conduct abandonment and reclamation work of inactive wells and facilities, has been very successful and created high-quality service sector jobs. More than 575 Saskatchewan-based companies have carried out over 5,500 well site reclamation and remediation projects in every oil and gas region of the province. To date, $316 million in contracts has been issued, and more than $152 million has been paid for work already completed.

On behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan, I would like to thank you again for all you do to help make our province’s energy sector a world leader.

Happy 2022! Bronwyn Eyre

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