Lewisporte hopes to expand harbour use

LEWISPORTE, N.L.— As the closure of its freight shipping service approaches in March, the town of Lewisporte, N.L. is looking to play a role in future oil and gas exploration.

The town’s long-standing freight service to Labrador is expected to end next month. But the port, wharves and infrastructure will remain.

Lewisporte Coun. Perry Pond wants to see the port’s resources, location and water depth recognized as a viable option in future offshore oil and gas activity, particularly in the northern reaches and north west of the province.

“We feel we have the attributes to play a role in the industry,” said Pond. “That could be a supply base, serve survey ships, maintenance, a spectrum of things.”

Lewisporte’s deep-water port includes an enclosed warehouse, a 4.5-hectare lay-down area, a paved wharf and 335 metres of dockage. The minimum water depth of the harbour is seven metres.

The proposal first came about in 2006. Oil and gas was recommended as a future area for investment, but a report stated opportunities could take up to 10 years to come to fruition.

Now, 12 years later, the town is seeking a consultant to determine the offshore opportunities that Lewisporte should tackle.

“We need the expertise of people in the industry to determine what role we can play and how best we can facilitate that role,” Pond said. “Then (the consultant) would develop a plan for us so we can be ready to attract and market to players in the industry. I think the time is right to aggressively start to develop a plan, so as the industry grows in our area we’re ready to participate.”

Lewisporte has received funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Trade and Innovation to hire its consultant.

“There is evidence of (oil and gas) exploration expanding west and northwest,” Pond said. “We think the ducks are aligning that somewhere in the northeast coast there will be active chance to be involved. Whoever is most prepared will benefit from that offshore activity and we want to be one community that is.”

Independent resource assessments from Nalcor estimate there is a combined resource potential of 49.2 billion barrels of oil and 193.8 trillion cubic feet of gas in the province’s offshore, much of which remains untapped.

“Noia would encourage municipalities to think long term, as Lewisporte is doing,” said Charlene Johnson, CEO of Noia (Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association).

Nalcor says the company has seven drilling plans submitted to the regulator C-NLOPB (CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board).