The London Free Press (Canada): Shell favouring Mackenzie gas line plan: “Shell Canada still believes a $7-billion plan to build a natural gas pipeline down the Mackenzie Delta in the Northwest Territories could be used to access even larger deposits of gas westward in neighbouring Alaska.” (ShellNews.net) Posted 21 Nov 04

CALGARY -- Shell Canada still believes a $7-billion plan to build a natural gas pipeline down the Mackenzie Delta in the Northwest Territories could be used to access even larger deposits of gas westward in neighbouring Alaska. Clive Mather, the new chief executive of Calgary-based Shell said yesterday a Mackenzie valley pipeline could still be used to access Alaskan gas instead of a separate line, estimated to cost at least $20 billion US.

"There is a lot of gas to the west," Mather said in an interview yesterday.

"So from an infrastructure point of view, it seems like a pretty . . . important investment."

"Obviously, the complexity in terms of international politics and whatever goes up another order of magnitude but you can't help looking at it as an international energy guy and say, 'Well, these things tend to happen.' "

Shell is partners in the Mackenzie pipeline project, along with Toronto-based Imperial Oil, its parent company ExxonMobil, Texas-based ConocoPhillips along with affected aboriginal groups.

Several years ago, Mackenzie line proponents appeared to be in a race with those looking to build a separate line to Alaska following the Alaskan highway northwest from Alberta.

But the Mackenzie project now appears to be well ahead of an Alaskan line after filing for regulatory approval last month. Energy companies involved are hoping that Canadian gas could be flowing south to energy-thirsty U.S. markets by the end of the decade.

Best guesses for a separate Alaskan line are to have gas flowing by 2014 at the earliest.

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/Business/2004/11/20/722605.html