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The Oil Fields
of Norman Wells
The Dene called it "Le Gohlini,"
for "where the oil is." Early
in the 1900's, they led geologists to the
site of oil seepages along the riverbank
of the lower Mackenzie River, just south
of the Arctic Circle. A discovery well,
drilled by Imperial Oil in 1919, confirmed
the presence of rich oil fields, deposited
in the sediments of primeval swamps and
ancient shallow seas.
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Waterflood Recovery Method
Secondary oil recovery at Norman
Wells is based on the principle
that oil is generally lighter
than water. Using the "waterflood"
method, water is injected into
the water zone of some wells
to push the oil up to the surface
of other wells. Gas is even
lighter than the oil and can
float on top as a gas cap. Sometimes
produced gas is re-injected
into the gas cap to push the
oil to other wells that have
been perforated in the oil zone.
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While a small refinery, built in the early
1920's, supplied downriver Mackenzie River
communities for half a century, it was not
until the 1940's that the Norman Wells oil
fields attracted international attention.
With its west coast petroleum facilities
under threat of Japanese attack, the United
States Army oversaw the fast-track construction
of a strategically-located oil pipeline
from Norman Wells to Whitehorse, Yukon.
Completion of the pipeline coincided with
the end of the war, and the project was
quickly abandoned.
Eighties Energy:
In the early 1980's, Imperial Oil brought
its Norman Wells operation to full capacity,
and oil began flowing through the 870 kilometre
Norman Wells Pipeline to Zama, Alberta,
en route to other transmission lines in
southern Canada. Since most of the oil producing
reservoir of Norman Wells lies directly
beneath the Mackenzie River, artificial
islands have been created in the river to
expand the area of the field.
Today, averaging 10 million barrels per
year, Norman Wells is Imperial's largest
source of conventional crude oil production,
and Canada' fourth-largest oil producing
field. The fields are expected to remain
in continuous, though declining, production
until at least 2020.
Natural gas is also produced at Norman
Wells, for local use and for re-injection
to enhance oil recovery.
Reviving the Mackenzie
Valley Pipeline
When vast reserves of natural gas were discovered
near in the lower Mackenzie Delta, near
the Beaufort Sea, in 1971, a proposed Mackenzie
Valley Pipeline became a controversial national
issue and the subject of a Canadian federal
royal commission. In 1977, Mr. Justice Thomas
Berger, citing First Nations land claim
and environmental concerns, recommended
delay of the pipeline for at least 10 years.
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Summer Shipping Lane
Pushing as many as 15 flat-bottomed
barges, lashed together in a
"train," sturdy Mackenzie
River tug boats guide cargoes
of boats, snowmobiles, mining
and drilling equipment, construction
supplies and household goods
from Hay River, on Great Slave
Lake, all the way to Tuktoyaktuk,
on the western coast of the
Arctic Ocean. At "Tuk,"
the barges are uncoupled and
moved by ocean-going tugboats
to communities in the High Arctic.
The vital Mackenzie River shipping
season extends from mid-June
to mid-October, delivering heavy
freight to remote communities
not serviced by year-round roadways.
The vast, windy waters of Great
Slave Lake, and the shallow
channels of the Mackenzie River
demand expert navigational skills
from the tug boat crews. Canadian
Coast Guard vessels also patrol
the river, maintaining navigational
aids.
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A Shared Vision:
Twenty-five years and several land claim
settlements later, corporate and aboriginal
interests in northern natural gas exploitation
are converging. A consortium of natural
gas producers, along with the Mackenzie
Valley Aboriginal Pipeline Corporation,
have joined forces to work toward the development
of the onshore Taglu, Parsons Lake and Nighintgak
gas fields north of Inuvik. Further development
of offshore gas fields in the Beaufort Sea
is expected to follow.
Investors project that initial production
from the onshore fields will be 800 million
to 1 billion cubic feet per day, drawing
on a combined reserve of 6 trillion cubic
feet. (Total estimated Mackenzie Delta -
Beaufort Sea reserves are 64 trillion cubic
feet.) The gas would be transported through
a segmented Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, via
Norman Wells, to existing gas pipelines
in northwest Alberta.
Lingering Concerns:
Although both technical and economic conditions
have changed since the original Mackenzie
Valley Pipeline was proposed in the 1970's,
many territorial, social and environmental
issues remain. The 21st century version
of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline is expected
to face a lengthy regulatory review and
attract renewed controversy. |
