Project Details

Location: Cold Lake, AB

Time Frame: November 2008 – 2023 (active)

Project Value: $300,000,000

Contract Type: Unit Rate

Services Rendered: Oil & Gas Construction

Project Summary

Morgan construction activities at Cold Lake started with the early civil works for the Nabiye Plant expansion project. The scope covers a breadth of work from timber salvage to rough grade of the entire plant site. This scope grew and included the 17km access road to the plant site and multiple km of access roads and 10 pad sites. Morgan continues to offer civil support for all expansion activities at Cold Lake including the recent GRP1 expansion project which is the largest production pad on site. Morgan has provided continuous support for existing facilities at Cold Lake. These scopes very from routine road maintenance to pipeline and well head excavations to construction of sprung structures. Our work within the existing plant sites includes below ground tank replacement, to lagoon waste hauls. Environmental scopes have included remediation and reclamation of drilling waste disposal sites, pad reclamations, tree planting and demolition of historical facilities.

Project Scope

• Construct 11 production areas (150m x 200m) with access, 25-36 wells per pad, clearing and preparation of soil, building of rig pads, installation of conductor/cellar after drilling, and final grading

• Construct 30 infill areas of varying sizes, extension of existing areas, with typically 4-9 wells per area

• Clearing and preparation of soil, building of rig pads, installation of conductor/cellar after drilling, and final grading

• Install a bridge with a 35-foot span over a creek crossing and develop a plan to control sediment and erosion

• Dispose of drilling waste using mix-bury-cover and alternate methods, and reclaim associated areas where soil was borrowed

• Construct a Class II landfill with an HDPE liner, working on day and night shifts due to a tight schedule, including during winter conditions

• Conduct a winter oil sands exploration program, usually drilling 12-24 wells per year from 2008 to 2014

Nabiye Facility Plant Site Construction

• Cleared and removed trees from 70.94 hectares of land while salvaging some of the timber

• Removed 240,149 m³ of topsoil and 111,222 cubic meters of subsoil

• Moved 590,000 m³ of soil to shape and level the land

• Dug 35,000 m³ of temporary ditches for water drainage

• Installed culverts to facilitate water flow

• Installed riprap to protect against soil erosion

• Added 8,100 m³ of gravel to create service roads, access roads, laydown and temporary parking areas

Nabiye Offsites

• Removed 322,500 m³ of topsoil and 31,000 m³ of subsoil

• Cut and fill 1,120,000 m³

• Installed geotextiles to reinforce soil

• Constructed a 17.5 km road with gravel base and asphalt concrete pavement to access the Nabiye site

• Built a 100-foot bridge over a creek and developed a plan to prevent soil erosion during construction

• Installed 1,200 mm CSP culverts and rock drains to cross two wetlands and prevent erosion

• Built 25 well pads measuring 170m x 120m, including installing conductors/cellars, constructing rig pads, and final grading

• Placed gravel on roads and well pads

• Installed culverts and constructed ditches

• Disposed of 82,650 m³ of drilling waste using new environmentally-friendly methods

• Reclaimed and planted trees on about 50 hectares of land

• Re-graded the Nabiye plant site after construction was completed