Westgate starts two-well fall drilling program in Alberta

Westgate Energy said on October 23 that it had begun its fall 2026 drilling program at two Alberta assets, Killam and Beaverdam. The Calgary-based company is targeting the Sparky Formation at Killam with a multilateral well and plans to re-enter and sidetrack a previously drilled well at Beaverdam. The company expects drilling to continue through November, followed by completion and tie-in work, with both wells anticipated to start production late in November. Those dates are forward-looking company expectations, not confirmed production results.

At Killam, the new well is an offset to Westgate’s 11-21 well, which the company calls its strongest performer at the asset so far. The planned lateral length is approximately 9,600 metres, compared with about 5,400 metres in 11-21. Westgate says the design also considers possible future waterflood development. The release gives no drilling cost, reserve estimate, initial production forecast or independent technical assessment for the new well.

At Beaverdam, the program involves re-entering and sidetracking the C3S well. Westgate says C3S previously encountered good reservoir quality and oil shows it considered comparable with the nearby C2S horizontal well, but a mechanical failure in the production liner restricted reservoir inflow and led to the well being shut in. The planned sidetrack will run parallel to C2S, which the company describes as its best Beaverdam well drilled to date. That account is issuer-reported; the October update does not provide independent test data or a revised C3S production estimate.

The company is also advancing a proposed follow-up two-well program at Beaverdam for the first quarter of 2027, focused on its Mannville Stack resource. Westgate says further details on well locations and timing will come as planning progresses. This is an intention under development, separate from the two wells in the current fall program. The update does not state that the 2027 drilling has been approved, financed or scheduled with contractors.

The technical comparison is limited but concrete: the planned Killam lateral is roughly 4,200 metres longer than the 11-21 design length, or about 1.8 times as long based on the rounded figures in the company release. This calculation compares planned total lateral length, not productive reservoir contact, production rates or recovery. Multilateral design and additional length do not by themselves establish commercial performance; completion, geology, costs and operating results will determine the outcome.

Westgate’s release also includes equity compensation and corporate matters unrelated to drilling. The company disclosed option, restricted share unit and deferred share unit awards, as well as an investor-relations agreement subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. These items do not change the drilling facts and are not included in the well metrics below. The release is a company statement distributed by CNW, and forecasts carry the company’s standard forward-looking-statement caveats.

For readers assessing the program, the distinction between activity and result is central. Drilling has commenced, but production start dates remain anticipated, not achieved; the company has not disclosed the wells’ eventual rates or economics. The 9,600-metre and 5,400-metre figures describe planned and prior lateral lengths. The 2027 two-well plan is still prospective. Subsequent operating updates will be needed to establish whether the wells are completed, tied in and producing as expected.