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ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
A major player in the Horn River Basin shale play recently held a community information session in the NWT Hamlet of Fort Liard.

An aerial view of Quicksilver Resources Inc.'s gas compressor site, located on the company's leased Horn River Basin lands. - photo courtesy of Quicksilver Resources Canada Inc.

Natural gas and oil exploration and production company Quicksilver Resources Inc. shared its proposal to build a gas plant about 70 km southeast of the hamlet, which will process natural gas produced in the Horn River Basin—the high-profile gas field located across the border in B.C.

"They have a strong team dedicated to bringing this plant to life," Quicksilver Resources director Stephen Lindsey said of the Fort Worth, Texas-based company's Canadian subsidiary, Quicksilver Resources Canada Inc. "Part of that is the communication required for the pre-application to the public and First Nations consultation phase, which they are currently in."

Quicksilver hopes to commence area preparations for the $350 million dollar plant in early winter 2013. If approved by B.C.'s environmental assessment office, the first phase of the plant is targeted to be on stream by mid 2014, Quicksilver Resources Canada spokesperson Jaime Lawrence told Nunavut News/North.

Even though the plant is being constructed across the border, Quicksilver is required to consult with the Acho Dene Koe First Nation of Fort Liard (ADK) because the group uses the area for hunting, trapping and fishing, explained Lawrence, who deals with community and aboriginal relations for the company.

"Quicksilver has been actively engaged with ADK members for several years, since before development began, and has a good relationship with the community," Lawrence stated. "We want that to continue going forward and as such have worked closely with members of the community through ongoing consultation and traditional use studies."

Once constructed, the project will create "substantial employment opportunities," Lawrence said--up to 24 people for about 25 years.

According to the company, the proposed Fortune Creek plant would initially process 150 million standard cubic feet of natural gas a day, and would be built in phases to increase capacity.

With mineral rights to more than 52,000 hectares in the Horn River Basin, Quicksilver is a part of the Horn River Shale and Gas Producers Group-- a consortium of companies that form a who's who in the oil and gas business.

Encana, Apache, Devon, EOG, Nexen, Stone Mountain/Ramshorn, Imperial Oil/Exxon Mobil Canada, ConocoPhillips, Suncor and Pengrowth are also included in the producers group that has been involved in exploration and development of the gas field in the last ten years.

Quicksilver has five producing wells in the Horn River Basin, of 15 horizontal shale gas wells the company has drilled since 2008.

Shares of Fort Worth, Texas-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. closed at $5.63 on Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange, and opened at $5.52 on Thursday.

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