Calgary, Alberta – Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. (TSXV: SOIL) (FSE: SMKA) (“Saturn” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has been awarded an additional $2.1 million of Accelerated Site Closure Program (“ASCP”) funding from the Saskatchewan provincial government. In total, Saturn has been awarded $13.6 million of ASCP funding.
Land Reclamation Program
As part of Saturn’s commitment to ESG leadership, the Company is prioritizing a Land Reclamation Program to remediate legacy inactive wells, including:
- $20 million budget over next three years to site remediation;
- 400 wells and facilities to be remediated by year end 2024; and
- 200+ well reclamations scheduled in 2022.
The Land Reclamation Program is set to begin in December 2021 with expectations of abandoning approximately 15 wells by year end 2021. The ASCP funding allows the Land Reclamation Program to be executed through 2022 without requiring any cash flow from Saturn’s operations, which is currently directed to growth projects and debt reduction. In addition, Saturn made a deposit in June 2021 to the Saskatchewan government of $21 million for future abandonment and reclamation obligations.
In conjunction with its Land Reclamation Program, Saturn has been actively working-over and repairing inactive wells and has returned over 20 inactive wells back into production in 2021. The combination of Saturn’s target for completing 400 additional reactivations and the 400 wells included in the Land Reclamation Program, is expected to reduce the Company’s total inactive well count by over 50% in the next three years.
Operational Update
The Company has completed the drilling of its first two wells at the Oxbow Asset in SE Saskatchewan: 1) a dual legged horizontal well with half-mile laterals and, 2) a single leg, half-mile horizontal well, all targeting the light oil bearing Frobisher formation. Good reservoir quality was encountered throughout the three lateral legs and the wells are expected to be put into production in the first week of December. The rig is currently moving to the third drilling location, a multi-well pad for the drilling of three Extended Reach Horizontal wells, each with one-mile lateral legs targeting Frobisher light oil formations. Saturn looks forward to releasing an operational update with results of the 2021 Q4 drilling and workover program in late December 2021.
About Saturn Oil & Gas Inc.
Saturn Oil & Gas Inc. is a growing Canadian energy company focused on generating positive shareholder returns through the continued responsible development of high-quality, light oil weighted assets, supported by an acquisition strategy that targets highly accretive, complementary opportunities. Saturn has assembled an attractive portfolio of free-cash flowing, low-decline operated assets in Southeastern Saskatchewan and West Central Saskatchewan that provide a deep inventory of long-term economic drilling opportunities across multiple zones. With an unwavering commitment to building an ESG-focused culture, Saturn’s goal is to increase reserves, production and cash flows at an attractive return on invested capital. Saturn’s shares are listed for trading on the TSXV under ticker ‘SOIL’ and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under symbol ‘SMKA’.