Schlumberger pressure pumping base slated for McKenzie park
Schlumberger Ltd. expects to take up residence in McKenzie Industrial Business Park within a year.
The international oilfield services company bought a 44-acre parcel in the business park south of Red Deer late last year. It declined to comment on its plans for the property, but has now issued a statement indicating that the site will become home to a pressure pumping base that will support Schlumberger’s stimulation and cementing operations in Central Alberta.
“Demand on our pumping services and resources has necessitated a significantly larger facility footprint and service infrastructure to ensure we meet the needs of our clients as efficiently as possible,” said Bill Partanen, the company’s district supervisor of pressure pumping services.
The pressure pumping base is expected to be ready for use by next June. A diverse range of staff will work there, said Schlumberger, including managers, engineers, health and safety personnel, equipment operators, electronic technicians and laboratory support.
The company did not elaborate on the types of buildings to be constructed there. But Red Deer County recently approved a site plan that includes an 84,000-square-foot workshop, a 9,450-square-foot truck wash facility, a 34,300-square-foot bulk plant and lab, a 6,370-square foot fuel island and a truck staging area. An employee parking area with 345 stalls and 315 truck-parking spaces are also planned.
McKenzie Industrial Business Park is located on the northeast corner of Range Road 273 (40th Avenue) and McKenzie Road (Township Road 374). Melcor Developments Ltd. is the managing partner of the park.
Guy Pelletier, Melcor’s Red Deer region vice-president, said Schlumberger’s arrival provides a big boost.
“That’s huge, both for us as a developer and for Red Deer County as well, to have a company of that profile in the park. It will attract a lot of other users, we’re hoping.”
Pelletier said McKenzie Industrial Business Park’s proximity to Hwy 2, especially with the county upgrading McKenzie Road to allow year-round truck use, is an attractive feature. He noted that Schlumberger’s operations are truck-dependent.
“If they’re comfortable that it meets their access needs, then we would hope other, similar companies would find that as well.”
Schlumberger’s property and a small adjacent lot make up Phase 2 of the 154-acre McKenzie Industrial Business Park.
Phase 1 consists of nine lots, of which five have been spoken for. One was purchased by Pidherney’s Trucking Ltd. and another is slated for the development of an indoor gun range by Red Deer Shooting Centre Inc.
A third lot is being used by Melcor for development of a 65,000-square-foot industrial building, which is under construction. Units there will be leased out, said Pelletier, and should be available for tenant improvements by the end of this year.
Third and fourth phases of development are also planned for McKenzie Industrial Business Park, with these to feature larger lots suitable for medium industrial-type users, said Pelletier.
Schlumberger currently operates from several locations in Red Deer. Its local services include coiled tubing, cased-hole wireline, cementing, stimulation, completions and production testing.
The company is active in approximately 85 countries and employs more than 113,000 people worldwide. Its principal offices are located in Paris, Houston and The Hague.
hrichards@reddeeradvocate.com
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