Chevron Canada Resources Canadian Beaufort Seismic Program

Inuvialuit Settlement Region has struck the minds of Chevron Canada Resources. The waters of this region, within the Canadian Beaufort Sea, "indicate geologic formations that may contain volumes of producible hydrocarbons", Chevron explains. Acquiring seismic data from the region would aid in evaluating petroleum reserves in the area.

Chevron Canada Ltd. put forward a proposition to the National Energy Board earlier in 2012. After having been reviewed by the Canadian Environment Assessment Registry, they have been permitted to conduct a ship-borne marine geophysical program consisting of 3-D and/or contingent 2-D swath seismic surveys in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Scheduled for an estimated period of (weather dependent) 40 to 70 days between late July and mid-October 2012, the seismic surveys are taking place approximately 120 kilometres north of Herschel Island. The Project area consists of approximately 43 000 square kilometres, with water depths ranging from approximately 20 to 2000 metres. The seismic source vessel would tow a dual sound source (airgun array) and up to 12 6-km long streamers of receiving hydrophones, and would be accompanied by two full-time support vessels. The activities associated with the Project include 3-D and/or 2-D seismic surveying, scouting, ice reconnaissance flights, possible crew change flights and associated re-supply activities.

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Newfoundland’s Nickel Processor

The construction of Vale’s nickel processing plant and support infrastructure in Long Harbour Newfoundland has required two thousand four hundred trades people for the starting phases of the project. This number is estimated to jump to 4,000 workers who will be working on the site during peak construction scheduled for October.

The $3.6 billion facility will process nickel concentrate from Vale’s operations in Voisey’s Bay, Labrador. The hydrometallurgical facility was designed to produce 50,000 tonnes per year of nickel metal and associated copper and cobalt.

The infrastructure and civil engineering were designed in Vale/Fluor’s St. John’s office, while the engineering of the process facilities was done in Fluor’s Vancouver office. Six of the process buildings were pre-engineered buildings designed by Colony.

The process area consists of approximately 800,000 square feet. The majority of buildings in this area were erected on site with steel shipped from the U.K. to the port of Argentia. Some of the buildings are the largest in Newfoundland with the Neutralization Building standing at about 1100 feet long, 200 feet wide, and 60 feet high.

　

Construction of the plant is scheduled to finish in 2013.

Quebec Rail To Help Plan Nord

Canada’s biggest railroad wants to build a $5-billion rail line to ship iron ore from Northern Quebec to port. This development would be a crucial link that could transform Canada into the world’s third-largest producer of Iron ore.

Stretching from the Port of Sept-Îles on the St. Lawrence River to north of Schefferville, on the border between Quebec and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the line will pass numerous mining projects in the Labrador Trough – a geological formation rich in iron ore. Montreal-based Canadian National Railway Co.’s 800-kilometre project, backed by Quebec’s public pension fund would not be functional until 2017 if approved.

There are already two rail lines in the region, but their capacity is lacking the means to meet demand from planned new mines in northern Quebec and Labrador. The Quebec government says the region represents potential private investments of more than $20 billion. This would bring a large boost to CN’s annual revenue.

Assuming the Labrador Trough projects go ahead, as well as the huge Mary River mine on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, Canada could produce as much as 250 million tonnes a year by 2020.