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E&P Conventional

E&P Conventional
E&P Conventional

Increasing global demand and the resulting surge in energy costs has led producers to increase drilling activity, apply secondary and tertiary recovery methods, and focus on improvements in utilization and supply. Taking on innovative, remote and complex projects, producers are looking to increase production levels by examining acquisitions, creative partnering and operations efficiency. Demand for cleaner fuels has led to a change in the proportion of new wells drilled for gas, an important component in increased oil sands productivity. Positive stakeholder relations are becoming important to a producer’s expansion plans.

Blakes earns client confidence through strong technical expertise and client service. We have a long tradition of multidisciplinary excellence in mergers and acquisitions, tax, securities, financing, infrastructure, regulatory, labour and employment, competition law, real estate, and litigation. Respected for our deep industry knowledge and transactions and operations acumen, foreign and domestic clients regularly retain Blakes to advise on all aspects of conventional oil and gas exploration, financing, production and operations worldwide.

We regularly counsel clients on issues pertaining to oil and gas refining, processing, transportation and storage, as well as represent them in proceedings related to permitting, development projects, and interpretation and application of environmental legislation. Our industry knowledge is enhanced by serving a diverse client base, including exploration and production companies, midstreamers, marketers, refiners, utility companies, facility and pipeline owners and operators, industrial users, industry financiers, and other stakeholders.

Blakes Oil & Gas lawyers have represented clients on the purchase and sale of upstream oil and gas assets, as well as midstream facilities such as pipeline systems, upgraders, refineries, extraction facilities, liquefied natural gas terminals and infrastructure. Working collaboratively with our leading Capital Markets, Financial Services, Financial Services Regulatory and Mergers & Acquisitions lawyers, we advise and assist with raising capital, regulatory restrictions, environmental regulations and compliance, as well as on all aspects of mergers, acquisitions and dispositions.

Clients benefit from our long tradition of multidisciplinary excellence encompassing mergers and acquisitions, tax law, securities issues, financing opportunities, infrastructure concerns, regulatory matters, competition law, creative partnering, stakeholder relations, and high-stakes litigation. Our team approach enables us to provide comprehensive representation and uniquely positions us to help our clients achieve their business goals.

In addition to providing transactional and operations advice, our Financial Services Regulatory lawyers frequently appear before federal and provisional regulatory boards and tribunals, including the National Energy Board, the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board and the Ontario Energy Board. Our litigators represent clients at all levels of courts throughout Canada.

Recent Experience
  • Ceres Global Ag Corp. on its joint venture with Steel Reef Infrastructure Corp. to develop a hydrocarbon rail terminal at Ceres’ existing Northgate, Saskatchewan, rail facility to facilitate the transloading of hydrocarbon products for movement between the U.S. and Canada.

  • Cona Resources Ltd., a portfolio company of Waterous Energy Fund, on its C$740-million acquisition of Pengrowth Energy Corporation.

  • Cenovus Energy Inc. in connection with its crude oil storage joint venture with Keyera Energy Inc. in Cushing, Oklahoma.

  • Strath Resources Ltd. On the acquisition of Montney assets from Paramount Resources Ltd. for total a consideration of C$340-million, paid 50 per cent cash and 50 per cent in common shares of Strath.

  • Cenovus Energy Inc. on the sale of its Suffield crude oil and natural-gas assets in southern Alberta to International Petroleum Corporation for C$512-million.

  • Enercapita Energy Ltd. on the acquisition of assets near Worsley, Alberta, for approximately C$100-million and Boundary Lake, Alberta, for approximately C$48-million.

  • Jupiter Resources Inc. in connection with its C$2-billion acquisition of the Bighorn upstream assets from Encana Corporation.

  • Encana Corporation and PrairieSky Royalty Ltd. in connection with the transfer of fee simple oil and gas and related assets by Encana to PrairieSky and subsequent C$1.67-billion initial public offering of PrairieSky by Encana.

  • Dana Petroleum PLC in its C$218-million acquisition of Bow Valley Energy Ltd.

  • TriStar Oil & Gas Ltd. on its merger with Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd.’s Canadian business unit to form PetroBakken Energy Ltd., a newly publicly listed corporation with a market cap of approximately C$5.5-billion.

  • Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Aston Hill Financial Inc. on their C$406-million acquisition of Thunder Energy Trust.

  • CanEra Resources Inc. in connection with the cross-border sale of assets valued at C$241-million.

Awards & Recognition

Members of our Energy group are recognized as leaders in the most recent editions of the following publications:

  • Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business

  • The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory

  • The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada

  • Who’s Who Legal: Business

  • The Legal 500 Canada

  • The Best Lawyers in Canada

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