.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

RANKIN INLET - A joint venture between Arviat's Eskimo Point Lumber Supply and Rankin Inlet's M&T Enterprises Ltd. could start a private tank farm in Rankin this summer.

The plan calls for the farm to be located at the reclaimed tailings pond near the ball diamond.

The government tank farm in Rankin Inlet can no longer meet the demand for fuel. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The farm would originally have one bank of 10 tanks, each with a capacity of 100,000 litres, which could be expanded to 30 tanks.

The fuel tanks would arrive in Rankin fully-assembled, needing only to be placed on-site.

M&T general manager Hamish Tatty said his company is hoping the process that needs to unfold for the farm to become a reality can be done in time for it to be completed this summer.

He said the tank farm would further a good working relationship between Eskimo Point and M&T, as well as help open the door for mining and exploration activities around the Kivalliq.

"Initially, the fuel would go entirely to the exploration sector," said Tatty.

"We haven't, at this point, discussed the possibility of using the farm to store fuel for our own equipment.

"It looks very promising for the farm to be effective in ridding Rankin of the barges that stay here all winter with stored fuel.

"The project will also create local employment and make use of contaminated land no good for anything else."

Community and Government Services assistant deputy minister Shawn Maley said he supports the project.

He said tank farm capacity, as it is right now, cannot meet the demand for fuel.

"Whatever fuel we bring in, as late as possible in the summer, is not enough to get us through until the next resupply season," said Maley.

"That's just with our current domestic needs, let alone any outside interests.

"The only fuel we can allow to go to exploration needs is fuel the companies nominate ahead of time.

"If they let us know their needs far ahead of time, we try and accommodate them when we can, but many, many times we have to say no."

Maley said the Enviro tanks M&T want to use are practically spill-proof.

He said they have a built-in type of welded berm that causes a tank to leak inside of itself in the unlikely case of a rupture.

"These tanks meet all required regulatory standards and inspections, and they're used everywhere.

"With exploration going at its current pace, fuel requirements are huge.

"That's why you see these barges parked all over the place storing fuel, because that's the volume they need."

The fuel being stored in the barges includes gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel.

Maley said the new tank farm would reduce the number of 45-gallon drums in the hamlet and eliminate the need for fuel-storage barges.

He said resource companies would be able to get the majority of their fuel from M&T rather than storing it.

"We wouldn't have to worry about the drums in the community, when they're being shipped out or coming back.

"The marshalling area is not there to be a fuel-storage facility for resource companies.

"They could be told to get their barges out of Itivia because they aren't needed to store fuel anymore."

Maley said he's an advocate of the government doing what it can to help companies with their fuel needs, but if it can be handled by the private sector, that's where it belongs.

"There's been two barges here with stored fuel each of the past two years, and Baker Lake had three during that time.

"Doing nothing about the situation could prove a million times worse than going ahead with the tank farm."

The proposed site is restricted and requires a zoning amendment to proceed.

A bylaw would be drafted and receive a first reading in council before going to public consultation.

Then it would receive a second reading and be sent for ministerial approval.

M&T and Eskimo Point would be responsible to address all regulatory and environmental concerns.

Senior administrative officer Paul Waye said it would be possible for the tank farm to go through this year.

He agrees the farm could help avert a potential environmental disaster.

"If something unforeseen were to happen to one of the fuel-storage barges, we could see a million litres of fuel spill into Itivia under the ice," said Waye.

"I totally agree with the concept we're playing fuel roulette with these barges.

"They're in a pretty sheltered area, but, really, anything could happen.

"There's always a chance something could go wrong for that fuel to leak into Itivia, and the tank farm would eradicate that problem."