Turner Valley Gas Plant Tour

The Turner Valley Gas Plant allowed us to visit their site and learn more about the gas plant and it's historic presence in our province. This was the first discovery of petroleum in Alberta which resulted in the first natural gas processing plant to be developed just 6

0 KMs south of Calgary.

Our Calgary Women in Energy members attended the Turner Valley Gas Plant Tour which was an educational endeavor for most of us who work in the industry. The tour provided a history about the establishment and discovery of natural gas in Alberta and the development of the first processing plant in Alberta and one of the first in Canada.

Many people in the industry have an idea that the first discovery or crude oil trapped in the Nisku Formation near Leduc started the boom of oil and gas exploration and production in Canada but this was not the case. Natural gas in Turner Valley was actually the first discovery. The Leduc #1 discovery in 1947 increased production from 72 Million recoverable barrels to 3 billion in 1957. This was an exceptional discovery for Canada's oil and gas market but surprisingly not the first.

Visiting the Turner Valley Gas Plant gave an insight to the discovery of natural gas in Alberta in 1914. For 30 years the Turner Valley Oilfield was the largest oil and gas producer in the British Empire and it is rumored that Churchill himself visited the area prior to World War II.

The mechanics of the processing plant and processes used in the past are still implemented in similar plants today which proves that the engineering behind these facilities is exceptional. With a precedent to develop further into the industry this was a great tour and highly recommended for anyone looking to see the history of our industry and learn more about how it all started.