Changes are being made to the inner workings at Energy and Resources, an extension portfolio within the Ministry of the Economy.
On the surface, these changes are subtle, but no less important.
“We’re switching out a system that’s about 35-years-old and making our daily drilling activity reports and daily well bulletins more accessible to the industry and the public,” said Ed Dancsok, assistant deputy minister and senior strategic lead for oil and natural gas development, who spoke with the Mercury on Nov. 6.
The old site was taken off-line this past weekend and will be replaced with the new and improved site by Nov. 19.
Dancsok warned, however, like any and all transitions of this nature, “expect a few glitches here and there. But ultimately, we’ll be making this more user-friendly.”
The deputy minister said that as luck would have it, “this is probably a good time to make the switch with the oilpatch not experiencing a lot of activity right now. It would have been a big challenge a couple of years ago when all stops were out.”
The daily drilling and well bulletins will be archived on the new system for easy access, and a service desk will be provided for those who may experience difficulties in following the directions to pick up what they need via the Internet. The new site is being referred to as IRIS for Integrated Resources Information System.
“We will have one complete day of inputs and test the system before we open it to the industry for well licensing and other business,” said Dancsok, adding that it was regrettable that the ministry will have to black out the system during the transition period, but it couldn’t be avoided.
“In the end, what we will be delivering is what our clients are looking for. We are looking for continuous improvements on operational moves, and reporting what the technicians and operators want. And we will tweak the system as we receive feedback from the industry regarding what is working and what isn’t working for them.”
Dancsok said the new processes will give the ministry an opportunity to grant various activities on a “same day turnaround as opposed to days, or sometimes weeks, of waiting for approval.”
The deputy minister said he wasn’t sure what impact, if any, IRIS would have on the postings and sales of Crown lands for drilling for petroleum and natural gas. Those sales are conducted every two months.
