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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - The proponents of hydroelectric development on the Slave River plan to open a field office in Fort Smith.

Kelly Scott, a spokesperson for the proponents, said the office would primarily be a place where local people can get information, ask questions and share concerns.

"It's really tough to answer questions from afar," Scott said from Calgary.

The hydroelectric potential of the river is being considered by two Alberta companies, ATCO Power and the Trans-Canada Corporation.

They are advertising for office space in Fort Smith.

Scott said the field office might be open by mid-November at the earliest.

The proponents are planning to begin preliminary studies into the hydroelectric idea.

This would require a facility - possibly a dam or some kind of river diversion - to be built on the Alberta side of the border along a 30-km stretch of river between Fort Fitzgerald, Alta., and Fort Smith.

The companies have been considering the $5-billion, 1,500-megawatt project since 2006.

If the companies decide to proceed after the studies are complete, construction will possibly begin in 2013 and the facility could be operational by 2019.