The Norman Wells Project Coordinating Committee : an evaluation ...

• Main Author: Wilson, Jennifer Sharon
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2008
• Subjects: Northwest Territories
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0086650; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0086650

On July 31,1981 the federal cabinet approved the Norman Wells Pipeline and Expansion Project (NW Project). The project consisted of a tenfold expansion to the existing oilfield at Norman Wells, N.W.T., and the construction of an 870 km pipeline to Zama, Alberta. The approval was subject to a formal delay to allow "time for effective and meaningful planning" for the implementation of special management measures and benefit packages. Construction commenced January 1983 and the project became operational in April 1985. Although the project did not represent a major undertaking by industry standards, it was significant for the north because it was the first major hydrocarbon production and transportation project to be completed in the Northwest Territories. In addition, the project involved a number of unique impact management structures in order to coordinate government and industry's activities and incorporate native concerns. The approach, if successfully implemented, would represent an important step towards ...