NWT minister pitches prospects in Texas

While the two key groups exploring for natural gas in Canada’s Arctic take their dispute over regulation of Mackenzie gas-gathering and mainline systems to the National Energy Board, putting the future development of the region in the balance, the Northwest Territories government is enthusiastically touting the region’s oil and gas potential.

NWT Industry Minister Brenda Bell said the Mackenzie Gas Project is only a small fraction of the opportunities to explore a basin estimated to hold 100 trillion cubic feet of gas, more than 16 times greater than the 5.8 tcf backing the Mackenzie plans.

He told a Houston conference that in terms of the NWT’s ultimate gas potential “it’s largely untapped.”

Bell is also confident that the Deh Cho First Nations, the lone hold-out among aboriginal communities, will not pass up the economic rewards the project offers.

He said the “immense” upside potential for benefits for the Deh Cho, whose land covers 40 percent of the proposed pipeline right of way, won’t leave that money on the table.

—Gary Park