A sweet gas well will be tested and flared sometime between February 1 and May 1 within close view of residents in southeast Red Deer.
Just Freehold Energy Corp. of Calgary will be testing the gas well to determine its economic viability. During testing, gas is produced and then disposed through flaring as a safety measure.
The City of Red Deer reports residents within a 1.5-km radius of the well will receive additional written notification prior to well testing.
The well is located just south of the Delburne highway (19th Street) and immediately east of the new landfill site. A 1.5-km radius takes in the city limits, including part of Vanier Woods neighbourhood.
Jim Benum, oil and gas liaison officer with Parkland Community Planning Services, said flaring should last anywhere from one to four days.
“In all likelihood, it will only last one day,” he said on Wednesday. “It’s a low-pressure sweet gas that is being flared.”
He estimates the flare will be small, around one metre in length.
Company personnel will be on site during the time the well is being flared.
He said the company finished drilling in late December .
Now it wants to see if the well is productive, which it’s expected to be. Benum said it would then be connected to a pipeline.
“If there is no gas, they would abandon the well,” Benum said.
Benum said the key message is letting people know what will be going on and if they have any questions, they can call Wade Martens, a representative with Access Land Services Ltd. at 403-348-5558. Benum can also be reached at 403-343-3394.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com