Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (July 08/02) - Paramount Resources Ltd. held an open house in Hay River last week to update the public on its Cameron Hills oil and natural gas project.

Company staff were on hand to discuss all aspects of the development, which is tying old and new wells to an Alberta trunk line.

Lloyd Doyle, the company's area engineering manager for northwest Alberta, said the open house was to inform the public on the work planned for next winter and what has already been accomplished.

Last winter, the company had applied to tie in more natural gas wells to its system and drill new oil wells, along with constructing a gathering system.

"Because of the mid-February regulatory approval, we were unable to get the whole project done," Doyle said.

Three of nine proposed wells were drilled and evaluated last winter.

Evaluation this winter

This winter, the company will drill and evaluate the remaining six wells.

It may also drill between one and 10 additional wells. An application for regulatory approval will be sought by about August.

The work must be done in winter to allow access to the project site, said Doyle.

"It's the only time you can have access."

Last winter's work included the construction of a central facility to handle gas operations and the construction of a 15-kilometre pipeline into Alberta.

And six of 21 wells were tied into the system.

The natural gas is moved to Paramount's Bistcho gas plan in Alberta.

In 2001-2002, $5.7 million was spent on northern contractor services.

"A pretty significant proportion came to Hay River," Doyle said.

At the open house, one display listed two dozen Northern companies involved with the project.

Among those companies was Carter Industries Limited of Hay River.

Company president Shawn Carter, who was on hand for the open house, said the project means a lot to the Northern economy.

His company is involved in such things as leasing equipment and seismic work.

Carter said the project definitely has a big impact on Hay River, "Because we are one of the closest communities to it."

The project is approximately 75 kilometres due south of Kakisa, near the NWT/Alberta border.