Adding Manpower
Two of the biggest difficulties facing SemCAMS now are the same as those plaguing the entire industry: the growing scarcity of natural gas and a shortage of skilled labor. Marine says the company is taking active steps to shield it from these challenges.

In particular, he says, the labor shortage has required the company to think ahead and plan for the future sooner than expected. “It has affected everybody, and we’re combating that by putting more resources into targeting individuals who will be the future of SemCAMS,” Marine says. As the labor pool ages, companies like SemCAMS have chosen to take a proactive approach to finding the next generation of workers.

SemCAMS is approaching technical and vocational schools to search for promising laborers, and has offered to pay for some candidates’ schooling. Marine says allowing individuals to work for the company on a short-term basis has been fruitful, as some have returned to SemCAMS after graduation.

Finding the next generation of its work force has been a top priority for SemCAMS at every level of the organization.  Even though most of the focus is on field laborers, SemCAMS isn’t taking any chances with management, either. The company wants to make sure the experience represented by its front office is passed down to the future.

“The aging work force is a concern, so we’ve developed a multi-stage succession plan for our head office in Calgary, but more importantly for our field locations,” Marine says. “Succession planning is certainly more important now than ever.”

As for the level of natural gas reserves, “We’re constantly on a treadmill with the producers as their reserves decline,” Marine says. The company needs to continually replace reserves in its plants to keep its cost structure down.

“As we bring more gas into our plants, it increases our volume and decreases the unit costs,” Marine says. “It’s a process of keeping up with the declines.”

Additionally, commodity prices of natural gas have been depressed, creating a slowdown in producers’ drilling. “There’s not a lot we can do about prices, obviously,” Marine says.

Where SemCAMS can make a difference is in finding more sources of natural gas in which to establish infrastructure. Marine says the company has a few projects in development that will create new sources for the company and give it a greater presence. “We’re aggressively seeking opportunities to expand our pipeline infrastructure network out into new frontier areas,” he says.

New Connections
The company’s earliest efforts to move into new areas are represented by two projects: the Redwillow Pipeline and the Northern Pipeline System Expansion. Marine says both projects serve the company by bringing its infrastructure into British Columbia. “We’re going to be looking for every opportunity to acquire related resources in our catchment area,” he says.

The Northern Pipeline System Expansion is being developed by SemCAMS and a group of producers based in the Tumbler Ridge area of northeastern British Columbia. It will involve the construction of more than 26 miles of 12-inch pipeline, the expansion of an existing compressor station and the construction of a new compressor station. The pipeline being expanded is known as the Northwest Wapiti Pipeline.

SemCAMS has taken the necessary steps to ensure the environmental impact of this project is minimal. The company performed environmental fieldwork this summer by conducting vegetation, wildlife and fish surveys. The company works closely with Aboriginal communities living in the area. “SemCAMS has and will continue to ensure that Aboriginal monitors are actively engaged during all stages of the project,” the company says.

The proposed pipeline expansion will also be incorporated into SemCAMS’s operational systems to provide continuous monitoring of the pipeline and related facilities. SemCAMS’s Gas Control Centre is located in Edson, Alberta.