The Provincial Government today released a report
outlining how the community, industry and government can
support the development and growth of an oil and gas
sector on the west coast.
The report, Infrastructure and Supply and Service
Requirements and Opportunities for Oil and Gas Industry:
Western Newfoundland, is the result of a partnership
between the Department of Natural Resources and the
Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade. It contains nine
broad recommendations to assist the region in supporting
future potential development in the short to longer
term.
"The study is an important information tool for
government, industry and local businesses as exploration
moves forward and opportunities increase," said the
Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Minister of Natural
Resources. "This will assist in long-term planning and
decision-making. Local companies will be able to
identify potential types of opportunities and their role
in industry development. By working together, we can
more accurately assess the future needs of the region."
As part of a 2003 Blueprint commitment, a consultant
was contracted to identify oil and gas-related
infrastructure needs and service and supply
opportunities associated with development in the
province's western region. The study identifies ways to
help ensure that the western region has the necessary
capabilities to service potential onshore and offshore
activity. It also recommends that the larger centres of
Corner Brook and Stephenville work together to benefit
the entire region rather than in isolation and in
competition.
"The study provides us with several short and longer
term recommendations that government will need to
consider as we develop the industry in this region,"
said Minister Dunderdale. "It also emphasizes the
important need for collaboration and cooperation among
all interest groups to ensure we maximize the economic
benefits associated with future development."
The report was released today at the monthly luncheon
of the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade by the
Honourable Ross Wiseman, Minister of Business, on behalf
of Minister Dunderdale.
The report emphasizes the need to ensure a regulatory
environment that provides an attractive economic climate
for industry and businesses, and it recommends
continuing improvements to the region's infrastructure
capabilities with investments in transportation,
health-care and educational facilities. The report also
promotes the need to develop training programs that will
enable residents to enter the workforce and meet the
growing demand for employment.
"This study gives us a much greater understanding of
the potential business opportunities related to
petroleum development on the west coast," said Minister
Dunderdale. "This will encourage the participation of
local businesses and residents interested in taking
advantage of the commercial and employment opportunities
associated with the development of this industry."
"The study supports one of our main goals of
educating businesses and other key stakeholders from
Port aux Basques to St. Anthony about the oil and gas
industry, our capabilities, the broad opportunities at
different phases of development and the experiences of
other oil and gas regions," said Sharon McLennon,
chairperson of the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade's
Western Newfoundland Oil and Gas Steering Committee.
"Our committee is very pleased that we could work with
the Provincial Government to help guide the development
of the report. We look forward to building on this
partnership to promote the region's oil and gas industry
in the future."
The Provincial Government continues to work on
business attraction with oil companies and is making
significant strategic investments in the region through
Nalcor Energy, such as the Parsons Pond drilling program
and geoscience collection and dissemination. Increased
seismic information will enable the province to
understand the geological makeup of the area and lead to
more targeted drilling programs. The department recently
released a series of high-resolution aeromagnetic maps
of the region's onshore area, and is investing $20
million on the purchase, reprocessing and acquisition of
valuable seismic data in the Newfoundland and Labrador
offshore area.
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