Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
This satellite view from Google Maps shows most of the Norman Wells field. The central processing facility is on the top right. There are numerous artificial islands for wells. Google MapsEditor’s note: Here’s what Imperial Oil had to say in its Jan. 30 press release announcing the shut down of its operations at Normal Wells, NWT, which is over 100 years old.
Imperial’s Norman Wells operations include producing wells on natural and artificial islands in the Mackenzie River, and a central processing facility that also generates electricity used within the town of Norman Wells.
Norman Wells Operations Update – January 30, 2026
Imperial to wind down Norman Wells operations and start transition to closure and reclamation
Hydrocarbon production at Norman Wells in the Northwest Territories will end in the third quarter of 2026 as the facility comes to the end of its lifespan.
“Today marks the first of many milestones in our closure journey with communities that have been our home for more than a century,” said Cheryl Gomez-Smith, Imperial’s senior vice-president of upstream. “We’re proud of our contributions to the Northern economy over generations. We remain committed to supporting our employees through this transition and to collaborating with local communities and stakeholders through the closure process.”
“We have worked extremely hard to continue operations and maintain local economic benefits; however, with declining production we have made the difficult decision to end production. We are focused on a safe and orderly shutdown of operations.”
Imperial’s Norman Wells operations include producing wells on natural and artificial islands in the Mackenzie River, and a central processing facility that also generates electricity used within the town of Norman Wells. Imperial is working on a smooth transition of power generation for the community, and there are no near-term changes to the fuel supply arrangements currently in place.
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The decision to wind down operations is related specifically to Norman Wells’ production facilities. There are no near-term changes to wholesale fuel supply arrangements for the community that Imperial currently services.
Imperial will continue to collaborate with communities and regional stakeholders on future reclamation plans for the Norman Wells production facilities. Final reclamation work is not expected to start until after 2030, once a final closure plan and environmental assessment are completed and permits are approved by regulators.
Regulatory Applications
We are assessing next steps for regulatory applications that are currently in progress. We will continue to keep communities informed.
Emergency Response
Should an incident occur at the Norman Wells site, well-defined plans and emergency response capabilities are in place, which include access to specialized equipment and trained personnel. To be ready to respond, emergency teams conduct regular drills and simulations.
Imperial maintains a community awareness program that involves all nearby residents. Imperial representatives will contact all residents close to our operations if required during an emergency or if any day-to-day operations could impact local residents.
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0109 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY0109 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001