Industry Looking at Natural Gas Powered Rigs

Link here. 

The North American drilling industry is looking more seriously at weaning itself from diesel-electric rotary rigs—the staple of oilfields around the world for the past 60 years or more—in favour of punching holes (for oil, of course, hardly anyone is actually looking for dry gas these days) using cheaper, cleaner and quieter natural gas.

Ensign Energy Services Inc. has been building gas-powered rigs for clients in the United States for about five years now, and the units are quite popular in some of the more densely -populated shale plays—the Marcellus in the northeast, the Barnett in Texas—and in parts of Colorado and Wyoming where prevailing air pollution laws restrict the use of diesel generators.

Ensign is now running a total of 15 dedicated gas-powered rigs in the United States, but hasn’t yet targeted the Canadian market, although it does have one dual fuel (diesel and natural gas) in its Canadian fleet. Nor does it anticipate building any for the Canadian market, although it is in the process of adding two more dedicated gas-powered rigs to its American fleet, according to Will Matthews, vice- president, marketing in Ensign’s Denver office.

Might be nice for rigs drilling inside city limits.