Grande Prairie’s optimal location provides easy access to a strong natural gas input and output market industry with an extensive transportation network. As the major oil field service centre supporting both the Montney and the Duvernay, the City presents considerable investment opportunities that take advantage of this prime location with access to an abundant feedstock, services, and labour force.
Investment Opportunities Include:
- Natural gas
- Technology innovation
- Pesticide manufacturing
- Cleaning compounds
- Lubricating oils & greases
- Dyes & coatings
Advantages
Access to Resources
A number of petrochemical processes have been identified as having a high potential for the Grande Prairie region including methanol, urea/ammonia and formaldehyde. The Greenview Industrial Gateway, 30 minutes south of the city, has been identified for large-scale industrial processes such as gas field or large-scale straddle plant, sulfur processing, hydrogen and helium production. This development creates the potential for additional spin-off opportunities within Grande Prairie.
Grande Prairie is in the centre of two major liquid rich natural gas and plays, the Montney and Duvernay , two of the most significant plays in North America. The output from the Montney has doubled since 2012 and now comprises a third of Western Canada’s natural gas production. It is projected to make up more than half of the country’s output by 2040. The Duvernay extends under 130 000 square kilometres (km²) of Alberta, or 20% of the province. Importantly, the Duvernay Shale is rich in NGLs, including condensate, which is often mixed with bitumen from the Alberta oil sands so the bitumen can be thinned and shipped in oil pipelines.
Availability of Land
With recently annexed land, over 2,000 acres of industrial land and an existing industrial inventory of 6.1 million square feet, there is a wealth of land and real estate available that is easily accessible by major infrastructure.
Hughes Lake
Hughes Lake is the largest opportunity for greenfield development which includes approximately 19 quarter sections (1,200 ha) of land ranging from full agricultural quarter sections to small concentrations of country residential lots. Hughes Lake is situated between Highway 43 and Highway 43 Bypass, which allows for convenient access to truck routes, proximity to the airport and access to urban centre. Development opportunities include industries such as agriculture, manufacturing and general industrial.
Synergies with Local Industries
Alberta’s petrochemical industry utilizes natural gas liquids and ethane to be used in products such as flexile packing material, textiles and anti-freeze. The region hosts multiple leaders in the production of natural gas liquids such as Arc Resources, Paramount Resources, Halliburton, Encana Natural Gas, Canadian Natural Resources, ATCO Group, Schlumberger, TRICAN, CalFrac Services, Ferus and Tervita.
Availability of Skilled Labour
Alberta’s Peace Region is the province’s largest producer of natural gas and conventional crude oil. The region boasts over 8,600 workers that are employed in the oil and gas industry or related field, such as engineering, utility system construction and technical services with 2,007 in extraction and 4,218 in support activities.