Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Sep 05/05) - If a certain major Canadian energy services company ever builds a pipe-coating facility in Hay River - and that is far from certain - it will be on land owned by Northern Transportation Company Ltd.

On Aug. 30, ShawCor Ltd. of Toronto announced it has selected NTCL's harbour location to provide services to the NWT's oil and gas industry - meaning the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline project.

However, no decision has yet been made on what the land might be used for, according to Doug Goodridge, vice-president and general manager of ShawCor subsidiary Shaw Pipe Protection Ltd. in Calgary.

It could be used for storing pipe shipped in from elsewhere, pipe inspection, training or possibly a pipe coating facility, Goodridge said.

His company has not decided whether to build a full-scale pipe-coating facility in Hay River, he said. "When the day comes when we have to sit down and bid on the project then we can make some hard decisions."

A year ago, Shaw Pipe Protection Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding with NTCL and Naegha Zhia Inc., the corporate arm of K'atlodeeche First Nation on the Hay River Reserve.

The parties agreed to seek business opportunities in the NWT, initially a pipe-coating facility for the Mackenzie Valley pipeline project. No joint venture, however, has been formally agreed upon.

ShawCor, along with another company, had applied to the Town of Hay River for land at the intersection of the Mackenzie Highway and the turn-off to Fort Smith to build the facility. Goodridge said the NTCL land is preferable for logistical reasons. Unlike the highway land, coated pipe or other equipment would not have to be moved to the harbour for transport.

The NTCL property is also zoned industrial and has direct rail access and barge loading facilities.