Spearhead and Liberty Test Wet-Sand Frac Frontier

Test in Western Canada highlights effort to cut proppant logistics and reduce reliance on long-haul dried sand

14 Sep 2025

Spearhead Sand has completed a wet-sand hydraulic fracturing operation in western Canada, marking a rare field deployment of the approach in a market long reliant on dried frac sand moved over large distances.

The company said the operation was carried out on September 11 with Liberty Energy for Parallax Energy in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. Spearhead supplied the wet sand and used an on-site storage system designed to simplify handling at the wellsite, while Liberty provided pressure pumping and completion services. Parallax was the operator.

Wet-sand proppant has drawn growing interest among operators and service companies seeking to reduce costs and operational complexity at the wellsite. Unlike conventional frac sand, which is dried before delivery, wet sand retains its natural moisture, potentially removing the need for energy-intensive drying and reducing handling steps during transport and storage.

In western Canada, frac sand supply has traditionally depended on dried sand shipped over long distances, often from the US. This model can expose operators to higher transport costs, weather-related delays and congestion along rail and road networks.

Advocates of wet-sand systems argue that regional sourcing, combined with equipment adapted to handle moist material, can shorten supply chains and create more flexible delivery routes. In theory, this could lower logistics costs and reduce emissions linked to drying and transport, although the economics vary by basin and activity level.

The approach is not without constraints. Wider adoption will depend on the availability of consistent sand quality, reliable regional supply volumes and compatibility with established completion practices. Operators must also weigh whether savings in logistics offset the investment required in specialised handling and storage equipment.

For now, the Spearhead-Liberty operation stands as a practical demonstration rather than a signal of broad market change. It suggests, however, that suppliers and service companies in Canada are testing alternatives to the conventional dried-sand model as completion activity evolves and cost pressures persist.