ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to estimate the amount of hydrocarbon remaining to be found in northeastern British Columbia, utilizing present reserves, present exploration drilling densities and optimum drilling densities. The method requires an appraisal of the formations containing hydrocarbon and a prediction of the continuity of these formations.

Throughout the paper, reserves will be considered to be "identified deposits recoverable under existing economic and technological conditions." Resources include "undiscovered deposits of the same quality as reserves, as well as deposits presently unrecoverable for either economic or technological reasons" (McKelvey, 1975). The sum of reserves and resources is called the total resource or the ultimate resource.

The sedimentary section was divided into ten separate units consisting of one or more formations. In each unit, the present reserves and the present drilling densities were used to estimate the ultimate resources. From this method the ultimate resources were determined to be 25 TCF of gas and 829 MMSTB of oil.