Pointe-du-Lac
In the late 19th century, Pointe-du-Lac farmers heated their homes and barns using natural gas. The gas probably came from near-surface aquifers (less than 25 m deep).
The first well to reveal a gas field in Pointe-du-Lac was drilled by Joseph Auger in 1955.
Like Joseph Auger, the Pères de la Fraternité sacerdotale decided in 1960 to drill for gas to heat their facilities as inexpensively as possible.
In 1961 Corporation des Pétroles et Gaz de lac Saint-Pierre, whose principal shareholder was Laduboro, began systematic drilling with a view to producing the deposit. Exploration was carried out both in Lac Saint-Pierre and along the shoreline
Starting in 1965 the deposit was put into commercial operation, and gas was sold to businesses in the Trois-Rivières area. Operations continued until 1976 when withdrawal had to be discontinued due major water production.
In the mid-1980s, Société québécoise d’initiative pétrolière (SOQUIP) became interested in the site and had work carried out with a view to reuse it for underground storage.
From 1985 to 1987, a testing and drilling program was conducted by SOQUIP and Gaz Metropolitain in collaboration with SOFREGAZ (a company specialized in all areas of natural gas engineering) to implement and determine the feasibility of converting the depleted reservoir into an underground storage facility.
The first injection was in July 1990 and the first withdrawal in January 1991.
In March 1991, consortium members established Intragaz Limited Partnership to oversee operations at the Pointe-du-Lac site. Gaz de France (now Engie), one of the world’s first gas companies and a recognized underground storage expert, joined the partnership.
In about five years, Intragaz optimized peak withdrawal capacity from 910 103m3/day to 1,200 103m3/day. The working gaz capacity was progressively increased to reach 22,7 106m3 in 2001. In 2019, the working gas capacity was increased to 36,6 106m3 as a result of an optimization project.