Sahtu Secretariat eyes opportunities as Imperial Oil mulls sale of Norman Wells assets

One energy expert is surprised that Imperial Oil is considering selling its oil and gasassets in Norman Wells, N.W.T.

The Calgary-based company first discovered oil in the community, about 150 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, almost 100 years ago. Last week, Imperial Oil said it hasn't come to a final decision, but it's talking with Sahtu community leaders about the impact a sale could have on the region.

• Imperial Oil looking at selling Norman Wells oil assets in N.W.T.

Gross production at Norman Wells averaged 11,000 barrels per day last year.Doug Matthews, a Canmore, Alta.-based energy analyst, says that's an 80 per cent drop from production 30 years ago.

"The writing was rather on the wall that this field was in decline and was probably going to be shutting down in, depending who you talk to, six, seven, eight years time," Matthews said.

"What rather surprised me is that Esso's efforts to sell the field rather than just decommission it and reclaim the property."

Imperial Oil owns two-thirds of the oil operations in Norman Wells, with the federal government owning the rest.The company would not elaborate on why it's considering selling now.

The Sahtu Secretariat says it wants to be involved if there is a sale.Ethel Blondin-Andrew, chair of the Sahtu Secretariat, said it wasin talks with the federal government about becoming a stakeholdertwo years ago.

"We're not saying we're going to go out and write a cheque and buy it tomorrow," Blondin-Andrew said.

"We need to investigate all the possibilities. We have an abiding interest in what happens on our land and how we better ourselves in terms of an economic base."

Blondin-Andrew says some might think taking on a depleting oil field would be a risk, but she said she thinks it could be a good opportunity for jobs once remediation begins.