1950 : laying the groundwork

Key events in the petroleum industry in 1950 were described, with particular reference to natural gas development in western Canada. The gas delivery infrastructure across much of Alberta was already developed by the time the Leduc No. 1 oil well was discovered in February 1947. In 1950, there were 1170 wells in Alberta with more than 7 trillion cubic feet of established reserves. Plans were underway to export Alberta gas to markets along the Pacific Coast of the United States. Westcoast Transmission Company Ltd. applied to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Conservation Board to develop an intra-provincial gathering system. It was the front-runner of 3 exporting companies because it was the only one to propose a Canadian route. The proposal was to build a 1000 mile line from the Peace River region to Kamloops, through to Vancouver and then to Seattle, Washington. The plan had strong financial backing with both Canadian and American capital. Westcoast adjusted its plans slightly by the end of the 1950s. The Canadian portion of the system would end near Sumas, Washington where it would connect with the American pipeline built by an affiliate, Westcoast Transmission Company Inc. By the end of 1951, a year after hearings had begun, the board determined that Alberta's reserves did not support the planned export, and sponsors of the various projects had to find more gas. Other key events in the 1950s were the completion of an oil export pipeline between Redwater and Superior, Wisconsin; the delivery of Alberta gas to Dawson Creek; Alberta crude oil production exceeded 100,000 barrels per day; and, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Conservation Board implemented a prorating system of allocating crude production to available markets. 1 tab., 1 fig