NWT politicians tour Bakken fracking sites for taste of what may come in Canol

WILLISTON, N.D. – Northwest Territories’ politicians are touring the booming Bakken region of Saskatchewan and North Dakota to get a taste of what might be in store if the territory’s own shale oil play takes off.

The group — with representatives of from the towns of Norman Wells, Tulita and Fort Good Hope, as well as the territorial government — spoke to local officials and viewed a hydraulic fracturing operation.

That method — which would be used in the Northwest Territories’ Canol shale formation — involves drilling long horizontal wells deep underground and cracking the rock with a mixture of high-pressure water, sand and chemicals.

David Ramsay — the minister of industry, tourism investment and transportation — says he’s confident that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, can be done safely in the Central Mackenzie Valley, although drilling into permafrost may be challenging.

Ramsay says the tour showed him the importance of preparing for an economic boom, that could result from developing shale oil, by ensuring there’s enough infrastructure and services in place.

Development of the Canol is in its very early stages, with the first horizontal wells set to be drilled this winter.