Gas plant getting closer to reality, says Inuvialuit Regional Corporation

The Inuvialuit say they're getting closer to accessing the natural gas in the M-18 well in the N.W.T.

Their next steps will be to finalize what kind of gas plant will be built.

Construction on the 4.2-kilometre access road to the well started last month.

Billed as the Inuvialuit Energy Security Project, the Inuvialuit-owned M-18 plant is hoped to one day provide enough natural gas, propane and diesel to supply the region for more than 50 years. The plan is to extract the gas, liquefy it and truck it to Beaufort Delta communities.

Right now, workers are expanding the road to the M-18 well, making it accessible all year round. In its current state, the Inuvialuit have called it a "trail" that isn't usable for the heavy work needed.

A bridge over a creek will also be built and placed this coming spring. The road construction portion of the project has already employed almost 50 people, most of them from Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T.

Duane Smith, CEO of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, said talks have already begun to move communities away from being diesel-dependent. Tuktoyaktuk will be the first community to be switched over.

"We've already had negotiations for the last few years with the [N.W.T. government] and the power corporation," said Smith.

"They're ready, they're waiting for us to get the plant done so they can transition Tuktoyaktuk first."

Smith said the focus will then shift to the other Beaufort Delta communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

"And then looking at the outlying communities that are accessible and what kind of fuel they might run off of," he said.

The plant will produce compressed natural gas, propane and synthetic diesel.

When asked what size of plant would be made at the M-18 well site, Smith said that would depend on what type of plant is best for the region.

"It's a little bit difficult to determine the actual size. We are building the pad, but it might change depending on the final outcome of what type of plant we decide on," he said.

Once the road construction is done, a gravel pad will be built around the well next summer.