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Yukon sets land sale, helps finance a seismic survey in Whitehorse Trough
Gary Park Petroleum News Calgary correspondent
The Yukon is stepping up the pace of oil and gas activity by launching its fourth land sale and contributing to a seismic survey.
Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Archie Lang announced the call for nominations March 8 for two areas — one straddling the Dempster Highway in Eagle Plains and the other in the Peel Plateau next to the Yukon-Northwest Territories border.
He said the call areas have “untapped potential and are located next to existing dispositions with known reserves.
“Coupled with the increasing demand for gas and the future pipeline development in Alaska and the Northwest Territories, I am confident these parcels will be of interest to industry,” he said.
Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie told the Arctic Gas Symposium in Calgary that his government is “serious about creating investment opportunities for industry by opening up access to promising new areas.”
He said the parcels being offered are “rich in potential and relatively unexplored.” The call for nominations closes May 11.
In its first three land sales, the Yukon issued three permits for the Eagle Plains area to Devon Canada in 1999 and 2001 and one Peel Plateau permit to Hunt Oil in 2002.
An Informetrica paper two years ago rated potential reserves for Eagle Plains at 1 trillion cubic feet of gas and 28 million barrels of oil, but noted that more exploration and pipeline infrastructure is needed for further development.
The potential of Peel Plateau was estimated at 2.3 trillion cubic feet of gas and 21 million barrels of oil, but again access is needed to a pipeline. Seismic survey near Whitehorse Meanwhile, the government has announced that geologists are spending C$930,000 this year on an oil and natural gas seismic survey near the Yukon capital of Whitehorse — an area believed to be rich in potential.
The Geological Survey of Canada and the Yukon Geological Survey have been teamed up to probe the potential of the Whitehorse Trough.
Earlier projections have estimated the field could hold close to 200 billion cubic feet of natural gas, 8 million barrels of oil and unknown coalbed methane deposits.
If an Alaska Highway gas pipeline crosses the Yukon, the resources could have improved commercial prospects.
Lang said the survey, which will include up to C$230,000 in government money, took place in the last two weeks of February “entirely within the highway right of way” and for that reason there was “virtually no environmental impact.”
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