Calgary-based EnCana Corporation raised its 2004 sales projections of natural gas and oil and natural gas liquids by 10 per cent over 2003 levels on Monday.

A news release said gas sales in 2004 are forecast to be between 3.25 billion and 3.45 billion cubic feet per day while oil and natural gas liquids sales are forecast between 265,000 and 310,000 barrels per day, a 10 per cent increase from 2003 forecast levels.

The increased growth in sales is not expected to affect production in the Weyburn area. The superintendent of EnCana's Weyburn operations, Darcy Cretin, said Weyburn's contribution to the overall corporate growth will be as planned.

EnCana expects 30,000 barrels per day over the next 4-5 years, up from 22,000 barrels per day now. Most of that growth will come from the CO2 project.

That plan has not changed in the last number of years, said Cretin.

Gwyn Morgan, president and chief executive officer of EnCana, said the growth is the result of "North American resource plays we've taken decades to assemble on EnCana lands. These are known hydrocarbon accumulations, which we currently estimate have the potential to add up to nine trillion cubic feet of gas and 650 million barrels of oil to EnCana's future reserves."

EnCana also affirmed Monday that its total daily oil and gas sales volumes in 2003 are forecast to grow to between 740,000 and 797,000 barrels of oil equivalent, excluding Syncrude.