Technical Program

More than a dozen sedimentary basins occur in the vast area north of 60 degrees latitude. Compared with the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), most northern and arctic basins are immature and under explored. Yet, earlier rounds of exploration have revealed significant conventional resources in a variety of settings. The time has come to reassess the resources that lie beneath the frozen north, beyond the information provided by the pioneering drilling and seismic activity of the nineteen seventies and early eighties. With the supply of conventional oil declining around the world and the depletion of North American gas reserves occurring at a time of increasing demand brought on by emerging economies, the Arctic has become an important target for insuring a sustained hydrocarbon supply for North America.

Petroleum Exploration in Canada's Northern Regions – History, Current Activity and Future Potential
Gerry Reinson, Geological Consultant and Ken Drummond, Drummond Consulting
9:00 - 9:40 am, Tuesday, October 16

The Arctic is hot, and in more ways than one. On any given day, your average media outlet will showcase two or three stories about the North. Sometimes it is about energy and the competing plans for constructing a pipeline. Often it is about the North's fragile environment and the pressure brought on by climate change. Other times it is about endangered wildlife species and threatened traditional aboriginal ways of life. Sovereignty and security issues regularly make it to the front pages as do a plethora of political, environmental, societal and political issues, each of them with broad-ranging implications for both northerners and southerners, including industry planners and explorationists.

The Arctic is Hot: A Perfect Storm of Northern Issues at the Dawn of the 21st Century
Benoit Beauchamp, Arctic Institute of North America
8:20 - 9:00 am, Tuesday, October 16

Since 1994 exploration has been continuous, though limited, in the Mackenzie Valley. While still nurturing the dream of finding another Norman Wells, exploration companies have made headway in relatively unexplored areas overcoming some remarkable challenges in terms of seismic acquisition and drilling. Interesting possibilities, and indeed major discoveries, occurred in the Colville Hills area, Summit Creek, Liard Plateau, and Cameron Hills. The 2007 Gussow will examine these latest developments and look into the future possibilities.

The Central Mackenzie Corridor: Recent Frontier Discoveries in a Northern Producing Basin
Paul Price and John Hogg, MGM Energy
10:10 - 10:50 am, Tuesday, October 16

In a recent survey among industry decision-makers, the sorry state of the current regulatory process in the north was seen as the single most important barrier to a new era of exploration. Against the back-drop of devolution from the Federal Government to the Territorial authorities and the First Nations administrations and land-claim organizations, the current regulatory process is a maze so complex that it constitutes a serious impediment to developing, let alone exploring for, northern energy resources. But between the "one-stop shop" dreamed about by industry and the politically-loaded bureaucratic labyrinth that exists now, one can hope that common sense will prevail to improve a process that is detrimental to both northerners and southerners.

The Regulatory Process in the North: a Barrier to Future Exploration and Development?
Nick Poushinsky, Jacques Whitford / AXYS
10:50 - 11:30 am, Tuesday, October 16

The Mackenzie Delta remains one of the most promising basins of Canada's North, if not in the entire circumarctic region. Discoveries have been made, large gas fields have been delineated, and a large number of exciting, yet unexplored possibilities exist both inland and offshore. Last year, resuscitating an old drilling caisson, Devon Canada drilled the first offshore well in more than 15 years. Intense seismic activity has been conducted by a number of companies. Some players have bailed out; new players have come in, all of them keeping an eye on the latest Mackenzie Valley pipeline development. Will the Beaufort-Mackenzie area fulfill its enormous promises in our lifetime? The Gussow Conference will delve into the latest development in that promising area.

Prospectivity and Hydrocarbon Potential of the Mackenzie Delta/Beaufort Sea Petroleum Province: a Northern Gulf of Mexico Waiting for it's Time
Dennis Johnston, Devon Canada Corporation
1:00 - 1:40 pm, Tuesday, October 16

Thirty years after the Berger inquiry put a stop to pipeline construction along the Mackenzie Valley, there is now not one, but two, competing plans to bring stranded Arctic gas to southern markets: the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and the Alaska pipeline. Trying to follow the latest about pipeline development is akin to a roller coaster ride, with each turn and loop bringing its own excitement. However, plans are still moving forward as the environmental assessment of the MVP pipeline hearings draw to a close. The Gussow Conference will strive to provide the latest information available regarding the status of pipeline development.

Northern Pipelines: They look pretty good from this end
Doug Matthews, Energy Consultant
1:40 - 2:20 pm, Tuesday, October 16

The Arctic is a harsh, fragile and unforgiving environment. This constitutes a major trump card in any future oil and gas development. As recent exploration efforts have shown, environmental stewardship is an important, potentially costly, but necessary step to ensure success of energy-related projects. No one wants another Exxon-Valdez on their hands. From assessing the effect of seismic waves on Beluga whales to looking into the consequences of destabilized permafrost on drilling and production infrastructures due to climate change, environmental impediments and their implications are magnified tenfold in the North. The Gussow Conference will examine the range of such environmental issues that relate to, and impact upon, northern oil and gas development.

Key Environmental and Societal Issues Relevant to Oil and Gas Development in the North
Bonnie Gray-Wallace, Environmental Consultant
4:10 - 4:50 pm, Tuesday, October 16

Several small basins occur in the Yukon Territory, but most of them have received little industry attention. One exception is the Eagle Plains basin where there has been renewed activity in recent years, including drilling. Likewise, Peel Plateau is currently the focus of industry interest and the area is being actively promoted by territorial geosciences offices. The Gussow Conference will look into the latest development in many of these basins.

Yukon Oil and Gas - Past and Future
Lee Pigage, Yukon Geological Survey
3:30 - 4:10 pm, Tuesday, October 16

Compared with its Canadian counterparts, most sedimentary basins of Alaska's North Slope are mature, having been the focus of sustained industry activity for nearly half a century. Prudhoe Bay has been a productive field ever since its discovery in 1968. While most of the oil has gone south, the gas remains stranded and constitutes the backbone of a plan to build a pipeline across the Brooks Range and along the Alaska Highway. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) remains shrouded in a cloud of mystery and much has to be learned about its resource potential. It is an area currently in the 'crosshairs' of all kinds of industrial, economic, political, and environmental interests. With or without ANWR, northern Alaska still holds much promise, and some Canadian companies are actively investigating its potential.

Alaska's North Slope: Petroleum Exploration History and Future Potential
Andrew Willis, Petro-Canada
8:20 - 9:00 am, Wednesday, October 17

Since the last round of exploration in the far north, the voice of aboriginal people in northern Canada has grown in importance and is now a force to reckon with. Ever since the Berger inquiry imposed a ten-year moratorium on oil and gas development in the Mackenzie Valley, several aboriginal nations have settled their land claims, and some are well on their way to doing so. Contrary to the views expressed by a number of southern-based lobby groups and opinion makers, aboriginal nations of the north and Arctic Canada are not necessarily adverse to economic development and the exploitation of natural resources. Increasingly, native people want to be partners in economic ventures, both to benefit from the economic spin-offs and to ensure that development is done in a manner that is sustainable and respectful of the environment and traditions. Understanding aboriginal cultures, where they are coming from and where they are going, is an essential first step before exploring in the North.

Aboriginal Views on Northern Oil and Gas Exploration and Economic Development
Robert Overvold, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs
2:20 - 3:00 pm, Tuesday, October 16

Nunavut is blessed with several Lower Paleozoic basins that have received little attention from industry during the earlier round of exploration in the Arctic. One exception is the Parry Island Fold Belt which hosts one significant discovery, the Bent Horn oil field which was producing sweet crude up until it was prematurely shut down in the early 1990's. Similar plays likely occur in the vast area extending from Melville to Ellesmere islands. The adjacent Arctic platform and the intracratonic Foxe, Ungava and Hudson Bay basins hold some promises but they have yet to be properly assessed for their oil and gas potential.

Lower Paleozoic Petroleum Systems in the Canadian Arctic
Keith Dewing, Geological Survey of Canada
10:10 - 10:50 am, Wednesday, October 17

Ever since Martin Frobisher set foot in the Arctic, the issue of ownership has surfaced at various times and in various forms. Except for tiny Hans Island between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, Canadian sovereignty over the Arctic islands is not disputed by any country. It is the marine seaways and the offshore areas that are at stake since many countries, especially the United States, would like the Northwest Passage to be an international seaway. Ottawa and Washington interpret the offshore boundary between Alaska and the Yukon quite differently. Currently, many countries, including Canada, are looking into extending their offshore jurisdiction through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Beyond the almost anecdotal Hans Island issue, these other sovereignty issues are a concern to the Canadian government as they bear mulitple implications, some of which will have direct consequence for future exploration, development and transportation of our natural resources.

The Development of Northern Energy Resources and Canadian Arctic Sovereignty and Security
Rob Huebert, University of Calgary
9:00 - 9:40 am, Wednesday, October 17

The Sverdrup Basin of the Canadian Arctic Islands is the other area of Canada's far north where significant resources were discovered during the nineteen seventies. it remains one of Canada's most promising petroleum provinces with two of Canada's largest gas fields, Drake and Hecla on Melville Island. Beyond the original simple plays explored by industry, bold new ideas are needed to reassess prospectivity in the promising Mesozoic succession. The time has come to reexamine the Sverdrup Basin in the light of new technologies and play concepts and a better understanding of its petroleum system and stratigraphic succession.

Exploration Opportunities in the Sverdrup Basin, Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Ashton Embry, Geological Survey of Canada
10:50 - 11:30 am, Wednesday, October 17

Estimates of the amount of methane energy resources contained in natural gas hydrates defy the imagination. Even if only a fraction of those estimates proves to be recoverable, gas hydrates will still end up a sizeable resource, perhaps fulfilling its promise of being the "energy of the future". Large volumes of gas hydrates are known to exist in the frozen ground of the Arctic in association with petroleum-rich provinces such as the Mackenzie Delta and the Sverdrup Basin. In a sense, gas hydrates are to the Arctic basins what oil sands were to the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin three decades ago: a huge resource with a yet poorly understood technology to extract it. Overcoming technological challenges, as was done for the oil sands or coal-bed methane, is key to harnessing the potential of that resource. The Gussow Conference will look into the latest developments regarding the feasibility of exploiting "cold bed methane" from the rich hydrates of Arctic Canada and Northern Alaska.

Gas Hydrates - Fuel of the Not So Distant Future
Kirk Osadetz, Geological Survey of Canada
1:00 - 1:40 pm, Wednesday, October 17

Ice is perhaps the most important single feature that sets the North and the Arctic apart from the south. Whether it rests in the ground, lies on top of rivers and lakes, or blanket the land or the seas, ice can be both friend and foe to exploration geologists. Ice roads are an important component of northern exploration, and the ever shortening freezing season in the North is a cause of concern to many. In contrast, the thinning and disappearance of arctic sea ice opens all kinds of interesting possibilities for shipping stranded resources from the far North. Ice has been used to build drilling islands in the first round of exploration, a technology that may not be appropriate in a rapidly warming arctic. But will drilling caissons and ship hulls be strong enough to resist the enormous pressures brought on by drifting icebergs and multi-year ice, a process bound to increase through climate change? Understanding what's happening with the cryosphere and how it will evolve in the future is an important factor for industry to ponder.

Seabed Geoenvironmental Constraints to Hydrocarbon Development in the Canadian Arctic
Steve Blasco, Geological Survey of Canada
1:40 - 2:20 pm, Wednesday, October 17

Arctic Canada is blessed with two continental shelves of about the same length and width as the rich Norwegian Shelf. To say that these shelves are poorly understood is an understatement. One can argue that we know more about the geology of Mars or Venus than about the nearly 2000 km long Polar Continental Shelf, arguably the Earth's ultimate frontier. However, a recent acquisition of geophysical data to delineate Canada's offshore jurisdiction under the Law of the Sea should lead to a better understanding of that area. Far better understood is the Eastern Continental Shelf that borders Ellesmere and Baffin islands. A handful of wells have been drilled in that region and some discoveries were made. There is a resurgence of industry interest in the area as shown by the new acquisition of seismic data. A number of areas, such as Lancaster Sound and Baffin Bay, hold genuine promise. The Gussow Conference will provide an update on the latest exploration and geological development in these areas.

Giant Untested Basins on Canada's Arctic Frontier: Northern Baffin Bay, Lancaster Sound and the Nares Strait Region
Chris Harrison, Geological Survey of Canada
2:20 - 3:00 pm, Wednesday, October 17

While oil was the prime target during the first round of exploration in the Arctic Islands, it is natural gas that was discovered in profusion, often to the dismay of the early explorationists. Some thirty years later, natural gas is now a prized commodity, as gas production in the mature Western Canada Sedimentary Basin has started its unavoidable decline. With every passing days, we creep ever closer to the day when Arctic Islands gas will be needed to fuel the North American economy. But what will it take, economically, technologically and politically for the large gas deposits of Melville Islands - Drake and Hecla - to reach its market. Will this gas be forever stranded, or are we at the threshold of some major breakthroughs?

Shipping Gas from the Arctic Islands: Pipedream or Not?
Georges Eynon, Canadian Energy Research Institute
3:30 - 4:10 pm, Wednesday, October 17

So where do we go from here? After an initial round of exploration in the sixties to early eighties, and a period of dormancy in the early nineties, there was a resurgence in exploration interest as the 21st century dawned. Industry is now at the cross-roads when it comes to Northern and Arctic exploration. Globally, the next steps will depend on world-wide economies, the North American gas market and the price of commodities. On a national scale, a number of barriers will have to be overcome before industry returns in droves to the Arctic. Some of these are technological and environmental challenges; others relate to the regulatory process and the willingness of northern populations to see resource development take place on their lands. Much depends on whether one or more pipelines will be built, or whether Arctic gas can be shipped by sea using existing or new technologies. Some of Canada's leading experts on Arctic oil and gas development will share their experience, expertise and vision as to where industry has been, currently is, and should be in the far North.

Arctic Energy Exploration: Where Do We Go From Here? - A Panel Discussion

Panelists:
Henry Sykes, President, MGM Energy;
Michel Scott, Vice-President, Devon Canada Corporation;
Murray Todd, President and CEO, Canada Hibernia Holding Corp
Moderator: Kirk Osadetz, Geological Survey of Canada
4:10 - 5:30 pm, Wednesday, October 17

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