Efforts are underway to ensure Inuvik Gas has enough fuel for the winter after water leaked into an active natural gas well.
A spokesperson for ATCO Gas Ltd. said the leak was discovered after the J-35 well at the Ikhil production facility began to have issues with well pressure in May.
"Of note, water breakthroughs are a normal part of the life of a gas well and, comparatively, most wells in Alberta would produce for seven to 10 years before breakthrough, whereas the J-35 has lasted for 26 years under much harsher environmental conditions," said ATCO media and corporate communications manager Doris Kaufmann Woodcock. "The impact was significant enough that we could not, with certainty and confidence, rely on the J-35 well to meet the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 needs for natural gas going forward.
"It has been determined that the J-35 well is incapable of stable long-term production going forward."
A second well has also been impacted by the water breakthrough.
A final cost of the disruption has yet to be determined.
Woodcock noted that Inuvik Gas was able to squeeze a bit of fuel out of J-35 in the short term and for emergency situations, but the shortfall requires enough propane to be brought up from the south to cover eight weeks of demand in Inuvik.
Inuvik Gas is also exploring the possibility of tapping into the Tuk M-18 well over the winter to help keep supplies up. That well is expected to be able to supply natural gas year-round by 2027.
Woodcock added that officials are monitoring the situation and will continue to update the community as developments happen.
"Inuvik Gas Ltd. is focused on finding a solution to the recent gas disruption with built-in redundancies that will last until the Inuvialuit Energy Security Project can supply Inuvik with natural gas," she said. "We are committed to keeping the Town of Inuvik informed through consistent updates and welcome community input through local media, Facebook and public meetings.
"Inuvik Gas is also conducting a comprehensive operational analysis and evaluating long-term supply strategies that include built-in redundancies while incorporating learnings from this event into our future operational planning and risk mitigation protocols."
Inuvik Gas Ltd. is owned by ATCO, TriSummit Utilities Inc. and the Inuvilaluit Petroleum Corporation. It has approximately 850 customers.
