Environmental assessment ordered for Imperial's closure plan for Norman Wells

A northern review board has ordered an environmental assessment of Imperial Oil's plan to eventually shut down and clean up its operation at Norman Wells.

The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board announced in a news release on Wednesday that it has ordered the assessment of the closure and reclamation plan.

Environmental assessments are ordered for developments that are anticipated to have significant adverse environmental impacts or are likely to cause public concern. They allow for a more detailed study of development proposals.

This is now the third environmental assessment underway related to Imperial's Norman Wells operations. Assessments are currently being done of Imperial's application to renew its licence to operate and its plan to replace an underwater pipeline between two of the man-made islands the company built in the Mackenzie River.

Imperial has been extracting oil at Norman Wells since the 1920s, with hundreds of operating wells in the oilfield. A major part of the clean up will be treating or otherwise dealing with soil contaminated with hydrocarbons. A central part of an interim closure and reclamation plan is the development of a waste management facility on site to deal with the contaminated soils and other waste.

It's unclear how much longer Imperial Oil intends to continue operating at Norman Wells. In 2022, the company said it plans to continue operating for another five to 10 years. Under its existing water licence, Imperial is required to submit a closure plan a minimum of two years before it ceases operations.

In a March 31 letter to the board, Imperial urged the board to conduct an environmental assessment of the proposed final closure plan. The company said it anticipates that assessment taking between five and seven years.