RESPEC Project

In 2015, RESPEC was approached by Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS) (now Nutrien) to permit, drill, and test a brine-disposal well for their Allan potash mine. RESPEC coordinated all aspects of the disposal well, including designing and executing the drilling and completions as well as the budget and scheduling.

RESPEC completed all of the permitting with the Saskatchewan government and land management. Additionally, a geological investigation and report was completed on the Deadwood Formation for the disposal application. After the permit was approved, RESPEC coordinated the materials procurement and services to the drill site.

The well was drilled according to government regulations and tested to ensure that the disposal formation was isolated. Low initial injection rates were seen and RESPEC implemented stimulation techniques to increase the well to one of the highest rate brine injection wells at Saskatchewan mines. Because of RESPEC’s experience in disposal well workovers, several common problems with brine-disposal wells were identified and appropriate technology was used to mitigate the risks of these issues occurring in the future.