Mild weather conditions blamed for stalled plans
Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 29/01) - The unusually mild weather has delayed oil and gas exploration in the Mackenzie-Delta.
"This is just a slow down of operations," said Jeannette Doucet, coordinator of oil and gas information for the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.
"(The weather) will delay the beginning of the work but it won't cut it short, (the exploration companies) will just tack on extra time at the end."
Rick Calvert, manager of field operations for Western Geco, said the weather "is causing delays to just about everything we do."
Calvert said the company has contingency plans to cover the situation and is confident that the work program will be carried out this winter.
"We are in the Arctic; it will get colder," he said.
Ray Coleman, field superintendent of Akita/Equtak Drilling said he expects a two-week work delay.
"We were hoping to start drilling around Feb. 1. Now we're kind of hoping to be drilling prior to Feb. 15. Of course there are no guarantees."
For now, Coleman said the company is doing what it can, "but we certainly would like to take everything out there and set it all up."
Coleman and Calvert said workers will be called in as soon as ice conditions improve.
