Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc, which
announced plans to give up exploring for natural gas in
northwest British Columbia’s Klappen area, has agreed to build a
water recycling project to help make up for lost capital.
Shell Canada will construct the project though the issuance
of C$20 million ($20.3 million) in royalty credits support from
the province in recognition of “upfront capital spent by the
company” in an area of cultural and spiritual value with
“vital salmon-bearing waterways such as the Stikine, Nass and
Skeena rivers,” the province said in a statement.
Close relations with aboriginal communities are important
so the company will “now focus on growth opportunities with
better commercial and geological prospects in northeast British
Columbia,” Lorraine Mitchelmore, president and country chair of
Shell Canada, said in the statement. “Good water management is
central to sustainable operations.”
Annita McPhee, president of the Tahltan central council,
said, “We want to acknowledge Shell for its decision to respect
the wishes of the Tahltan Nation by giving up its plans to
develop coal-bed methane in the Klappan.”
To contact the reporter on this story:
Randall Hackley in London at
rhackley@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Randall Hackley at
rhackley@bloomberg.net
