Sour Oil Battery & Well Pad Facilities EPCM | Fox Creek, Alberta
10,000 BOED Sour Oil Battery, Fox Creek, Alberta
Leveraging teams based in Calgary, Alberta and Houston, Texas, Tundra Engineering delivered integrated EPCM engineering support for a 10,000 BOED sour oil battery at Fox Creek, in west-central Alberta, designed to meet the performance, safety, and regulatory demands of modern energy infrastructure. Operating in an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) role, our team focused on constructability, schedule certainty, and long-term operational reliability.
The facility was engineered to accelerate field execution while maintaining strict North American environmental and safety standards. Through disciplined planning and a prefabrication-first strategy, Tundra Engineering enabled rapid mechanical completion from a bare site within an aggressive project schedule.
The facility was licensed under Alberta Energy Regulator Directive 056 and engineered to comply with the applicable AER directives, including Directive 060 governing flaring, incinerating and venting. In sour service the H2S case sets the equipment specification, the shutdown philosophy, the setback distances and the emergency response requirements, so the regulatory basis has to be settled before the licence application is filed rather than after.
Project Overview
Location: Fox Creek, Alberta
Facility Type: 10,000 BOED Sour Oil Battery
Regulatory Basis: AER Directive 056 licence, compliant with Directive 060
Execution Model: EPCM Project Delivery
Key project highlights:
- Bare site to mechanical completion in approximately 4 weeks
- 100% prefabricated structural steel and piping systems
- No field piping welds or hydrotests required
- High-accuracy 3D model developed for future expansion
- Modular construction optimized for field efficiency
This execution strategy significantly reduced on-site labor exposure while improving construction predictability and quality control.
EPCM Engineering & Execution Scope
Under the EPCM delivery model, Tundra Engineering provided coordinated engineering leadership and project support across critical phases of execution. Our multidisciplinary team aligned detailed engineering, procurement planning, and construction readiness to ensure efficient field performance.
The prefabrication-driven approach allowed major piping and structural assemblies to be completed off-site, minimizing field welding and reducing schedule risk. This methodology is particularly effective for sour service energy facilities where safety, reliability, and cost visibility are essential.
As Owner’s Engineer, Tundra maintained strong technical oversight while enabling the client to retain contractual control and procurement flexibility throughout the project lifecycle.
Explore our full EPCM engineering services, or the disciplines this project drew on directly: oil battery design, sour gas treating and sweetening, regulatory submissions and flaring and venting reduction.
Performance Outcomes
The completed sour oil battery demonstrates Tundra Engineering’s ability to deliver practical, field-focused EPCM solutions for complex energy developments. Measurable project benefits included:
- Accelerated mechanical completion timeline
- Reduced field construction risk
- Improved cost certainty through modular execution
- Enhanced readiness for future brownfield expansion
- Strong alignment with North American regulatory expectations
The accurate 3D model and modular layout position the facility for efficient future debottlenecking and capacity expansion as production requirements evolve.
Single and Multi-Well Pads
The same scan-and-model workflow drives our pad work. Tundra has engineered a large number of single and multi-well pads across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan — separation, metering, line heaters, tank storage and the tie-ins back to gathering.
The point cloud shown below is a scan of a producing pad. Pad work is where 3D laser scanning pays for itself fastest: a pad that has been added to three times over a decade rarely matches its drawings, and a short scan removes the interference discoveries that otherwise surface during construction.
Start Your Next EPCM Project
Whether developing new oil batteries, expanding existing facilities, or executing complex energy infrastructure projects, Tundra Engineering provides disciplined EPCM leadership backed by more than 30 years of industry experience across Canada and the United States.
What was unique about this sour oil battery EPCM project?
This project used a prefabrication-first EPCM approach with 100% modular structural steel and piping. The strategy enabled rapid mechanical completion from a bare site while reducing field welding, improving safety performance, and maintaining strong cost and schedule control.
Why use modular EPCM delivery for oil battery projects?
Modular EPCM delivery improves construction predictability, reduces on-site labor exposure, and accelerates project schedules. For sour oil battery facilities, prefabrication also enhances quality control and supports safer execution in complex energy operating environments.
How does Owner’s Engineer oversight benefit EPCM projects?
As Owner’s Engineer, Tundra Engineering provides technical oversight, procurement governance, and execution guidance while allowing the client to retain commercial flexibility. This model improves project visibility, risk management, and overall EPCM project delivery performance.