CLIENT | Imperial |
LOCATIONS | Norman Wells, NT |
SERVICES | Environmental Projects |
CONTRACT VALUE | $1.15M Annually |
SCHEDULE | Start Date: 2014 End Date: Ongoing |
PROJECT PROFILE
Imperial’s Norman Wells operation is located in the Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie River about 150 km south of the Arctic Circle. It is the most northern producing oilfield in Canada, and many of the wells are drilled from six artificial islands constructed in the Mackenzie River. In 2008, new wells were drilled to support the Norman Wells operations. Facilities include producing wells drilled from natural and artificial islands, and a central processing facility, which also generates electricity and provides natural-gas service for the town of Norman Wells. Oil is transported by pipeline from Norman Wells to Alberta where it is ultimately refined.
SCOPE OF WORK
Since January 2014, KBL has managed the transportation and disposal of all hazardous and nonhazardous waste through barge and winter road transportation to various IOL approved end receivers. We have overseen the execution of bi-annual waste consolidation campaigns coordinated considering barge sailing schedules and once throughout the winter with historical winter road operations in mind. Our project manager and technical field staff are involved in all aspects of onsite waste management from coordinating local resources including heavy equipment support to both barge and ground transportation for all the various waste streams. Considering waste is being generated in a different province/territory then it will ultimately be disposed, we ensure consistency when adhering to all federal, territorial and provincial regulations. As part of this, KBL along with selected approved receiving facilities have ensured that any and all efficiencies have been considered to provide a streamlined and more cost-effective receipt of waste.
Waste identification, packaging and transport preparation are overseen by our field technicians on site to ensure compliance with International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) and Transportation of Dangerous Good (TDG) regulations. Our team creates, processes and administers all waste management documentation which includes any IMDG, federal movement manifests and bill of ladings. We coordinate the transport of waste from site to the barge landing for furtherance to Hay River or Ft. Simpson, NT where road transportation vehicles cross load the material for shipment to end receivers or winter road transportation. Close oversight of treatment campaign executions has allowed for a complete and successful implementation of our waste management and optimization plan which has resulted in safe, timely and efficient transfers to disposal and recycling facilities. Coupled with our ability to think out-of-the-box, all treatment campaigns and special projects have been completed within logistical constraints and budget.
PROJECT CHALLENGES
Challenges revolved primarily on logistically complex access due to a narrow barge season and winter road access only for the transport of supplies, containment to site and the removal of operations-generated waste over several annual sealift and winter road events.
PROJECT SUCCESS
Successes include the complete implementation of KBL’s generated optimization plan after evaluating current waste handling, storage and transportation practices for a more efficient and overall more cost-effective waste management program. In addition, there was introduction and execution of multiple solidification campaigns to a proprietary solidification technology utilized to process hydrocarbon impacted semi-solid sludges.
INDIGENOUS INVOLVEMENT
Our project managers work closely with local contractors to supply heavy equipment, transportation and staffing to support bi-annual waste consolidation campaigns and any special projects.