Licence to Drill
Encyclopedia
Licence to Drill is a documentary
television series produced by the Montreal based Pixcom for Discovery Channel Canada
. The series documents the activities of two teams of Natural Gas
drillers in the Canadian North in the Winter of 2008.
on the shores of the Beaufort Sea
in the Northwestern part of Canada's
Northwest Territories
. The team is drilling 3 wells, in chronological order of drilling: J-27, J-17, and A-25 which are located 13, 29, and 10km from base camp respectively. All of the equipment was loaded on to 18 barges in September of 2008 at Inuvik and sailed down the Mackenzie 180 kilometers to the eventual Winter Base Camp, where it waited over 2 months for the Winter to set in and the ground to freeze.
Josh Blinston – Drilling Supervisor (2nd in Command)
Jason Savage – Drilling Supervisor
Ron Krinke – Construction Supervisor
near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
. It consists of two wells located 100 meters apart. The Nabors equipment was flown in by the largest helicopter in the world, the Russian Mil Mi-26
, nicknamed Корова by its crew, in 65 loads. According to Rig Manager Denny Milan over 20 years of Research and Development went in to the components of Rig 99, which he described as "a giant Lego
set."
Paris Gagné – Wellsite Supervisor
Kate Connolley – Wellsite Geologist
Cliff Robinson – Driller
Kevin Long – Driller
Peter Vander Veen – Directional Driller
Clint Mantie – Derrickhand
Tom Forsyth – Motorhand
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
television series produced by the Montreal based Pixcom for Discovery Channel Canada
Discovery Channel Canada
Discovery Channel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel devoted to nature, adventure, science and technology programming. Discovery Channel is currently owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc...
. The series documents the activities of two teams of Natural Gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
drillers in the Canadian North in the Winter of 2008.
Format
Licence to Drill follows crews from two energy companies: The MGM Energy Corporation crew and the Nabors Drilling crew. The show features off the cuff interactions between team members, formal interviews from both team members and executives at the two companies headquarters, informal commentary to the camera by team members, and voice over narration.Narration
Licence to Drill is narrated by Canadian Actor Adrian Burhop. every episode, save the pilot, starts out with a standard introducing narrative.In the unforgiving Winter of the Canadian North, where the Sun shines only a few hours a day, and the temperatures drop to 70 degrees below zero, two companies risk everything to drill thousands of meters into the Earth in search of natural gas. Every day pushes men and machines to the breaking point. This job is not for everyone, but as long as billions or dollars remain locked in the deep there are those that will stop at nothing to get it out. – Opening Narration, Licence to Drill.
Site
The MGM team's base camp is located on the Mackenzie River DeltaMackenzie River
The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
on the shores of the Beaufort Sea
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort...
in the Northwestern part of Canada's
Cañada
The Spanish word cañada means glen; it is etymologically unrelated to Canada, which is derived from an Iroquois word meaning "village" or "settlement" and generally refers to the country in North America...
Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. The team is drilling 3 wells, in chronological order of drilling: J-27, J-17, and A-25 which are located 13, 29, and 10km from base camp respectively. All of the equipment was loaded on to 18 barges in September of 2008 at Inuvik and sailed down the Mackenzie 180 kilometers to the eventual Winter Base Camp, where it waited over 2 months for the Winter to set in and the ground to freeze.
Members
John Williams – Field SuperintendentJosh Blinston – Drilling Supervisor (2nd in Command)
Jason Savage – Drilling Supervisor
Ron Krinke – Construction Supervisor
Site
The Nabors team base camp, known as Rig 99, is located in Northeastern British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. It consists of two wells located 100 meters apart. The Nabors equipment was flown in by the largest helicopter in the world, the Russian Mil Mi-26
Mil Mi-26
The Mil Mi-26 is a Soviet/Russian heavy transport helicopter. In service with civilian and military operators, it is the largest and most powerful helicopter ever to have gone into production.-Design and development:...
, nicknamed Корова by its crew, in 65 loads. According to Rig Manager Denny Milan over 20 years of Research and Development went in to the components of Rig 99, which he described as "a giant Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
set."
Members
Denny Millan – Rig ManagerParis Gagné – Wellsite Supervisor
Kate Connolley – Wellsite Geologist
Cliff Robinson – Driller
Kevin Long – Driller
Peter Vander Veen – Directional Driller
Clint Mantie – Derrickhand
Tom Forsyth – Motorhand