NR14 | Natural Resources Magazine | March/April 2010 V21N2 2010:V20N3 2009 2/16/10 5:13 PM Page NR15
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V21N2 2010:V20N3 2009 2/16/10 5:13 PM Page NR14 NR14 | Natural Resources Magazine | March/April 2010 V21N2 2010:V20N3 2009 2/16/10 5:13 PM Page NR15 COVER STORY Brightly painted houses, icebergs and slanting roofs on the Arctic Island of Uummannaq in a fjord off the west coast of Greenland Online extras: naturalresourcesmagazine.com | NR15 V21N2 2010:V20N3 2009 2/16/10 5:13 PM Page NR16 Nuuk, capital city of Greenland. With 17,834 residents, it is one of the smallest capital cities in the world by population. The Pengrowth-Nova Scotia Energy Scholarship Program can help you achieve your career goals. The Pengrowth-Nova Scotia Energy Scholarship Program offers up to twelve $10,000 scholarships ($2,500 renewable over 4 years) to students entering a Nova Scotia university, and as many as ten $2,500 non-renewable scholarships to students beginning studies at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). The university application deadline is April 30, 2010. The NSCC application deadline is May 7, 2010. Please visit www.gov.ns.ca/energy or call (902) 424-1559 for more information. “This scholarship has allowed me to pursue my studies in Applied Sciences, providing me with networking opportunities to benefit my career.” Jaya Wadhawan, Bachelor of Science, Dalhousie University Winner of the 2009 Pengrowth-Nova Scotia Energy University Scholarship Department of Energy DEVELOPING LEADERS IN ENERGY NR16 | Natural Resources Magazine | March/April 2010 V21N2 2010:V20N3 2009 2/16/10 5:13 PM Page NR17 The largest island in the centre of the island into a basin 1,000 world, Greenland straddles the indistinct feet (approximately 300 metres) below line separating the North Atlantic Ocean sea level. Were the Greenland ice sheet from the Arctic Ocean, dwarfing most of to melt, sea levels would rise about seven its neighbours, including Newfoundland metres or 23 feet, wiping out just about to the southwest. On Google Earth, every major city on the planet. Greenland stands out as the largest But Greenland is more than just ice. white spot on the globe this side of With its new world geography (in recent Antarctica, like a pristine piece of ragged years there’s been a movement afoot to paper against the rough and rugged strip Cape Spear of its designation as the blues and greens that surround it. That’s easternmost point of North America because of the Greenland ice sheet, because many geologist consider which covers 80 per cent of the island. Greenland part of this continent), and The second largest in the world and old world history (it was settled by 110,000 years old, the ice sheet is 2,400 Vikings a millennium ago and is still a kilometres long and 1,100 kilometres protectorate of Denmark), you could say wide. At over two kilometres thick, it’s Greenland is the biggest piece of Europe so heavy that it has compressed the in North America. And changes are The flag of Greenland was designed by Greenland native Thue Christiansen. The large white section in the upper half symbolizes Greenland’s ice cap; the red part in the circle represents the country’s fjords; the white part of the circle symbolizes ice bergs and pack ice; and, the large red section in the bottom half of the flag represents the ocean. The flag is an apt symbol for Greenland’s perceived economic future, which includes harvesting the country’s unproven offshore petroleum resources. Newfoundland companies hope their ice avoidance expertise will assist in that development. Online extras: naturalresourcesmagazine.com | NR17 V21N2 2010:V20N3 2009 2/16/10 5:13 PM Page NR18 Greenland (shown here in the summer) is thought to hold substantial reserves of offshore oil deposits. Exxon, Husky and Chevron were among the 42 companies who qualified under the latest round of bidding to explore that potential. Your perfect partner in piping CFF, CANADA FITTINGS & FLANGES INC., is proud to announce the opening of its newly-expanded multi-million-dollar service and supply facility in Paradise, Newfoundland. Its 14,000 sq. ft. warehouse is located within 30 minutes of an international airport and port infrastructure, enabling it to quickly meet the demands of Atlantic Canada’s growing oil, gas, mining and process industries. CFF is owned by the SFF Group of Norway, which has 10 large and modern warehouses, sales offices and facilities on four continents. SFF also belongs to the Galperti Group, which allows CFF access to inventory and manufacturing facilities worldwide. We can supply a large range of products and materials within a short time. Pipes - Fittings - Flanges - Clamp Connectors - Special Piping Products in any grade. ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR 709.754.6288 | www.sffgroup.com A PART OF THE SFF GROUP: NORWAY | SWEDEN | DENMARK | FINLAND | CANADA | SINGAPORE | AUSTRALIA | VIETNAM | MALAYSIA | KAZAKHSTAN NR18 | Natural Resources Magazine | March/April 2010 V21N2 2010:V20N3 2009 2/16/10 5:13 PM Page NR19 coming to the island’s politics and Right: Jakob Edvard Kuupik Kleist was elected Prime Minister of Greenland in economy as surely as they’re coming to 2009. His government hopes that oil and its climate. Greenlanders are preparing gas development will be their country’s to write their own ticket on that vast ticket to prosperity. (Photo: Inuit Ataqatigiit website) white expanse. In a 2008 referendum, Greenlanders voted for greater autonomy from Denmark. The new Self-Rule, a more independent version of the previous Home-Rule, came into effect in June 2009 and means that the island is now responsible for its own judicial affairs, policing and natural resources. That wasn’t the only change last year. Prime AdvancingA d v a n c i n g ReservoirR e s e r v o i r PerformanceP e r f o r m a n c e Minister Hans Enoksen, whose Social Democrat party had formed the government for the past 30 years, called an election to coincide with the new freedom and was promptly turfed out of office. Now, from the capital city of Nuuk, new Prime Minister Kuupik Kleist, along with the other members of his left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit (Greenlandic for Community of the People) party, is prepared to lead Greenland’s 57,000 inhabitants into the future. Newfoundland and Labrador may be in a position to help them achieve that goal. Newfoundland and Greenland have much in common. They are islands with a centuries’ old fishing-based economy, whose cultures were tempered in the unforgiving latitudes of the North Atlantic. The Inuit people of northern Labrador share a common ancestry with those of Greenland and their language and culture are strik- ingly similar. Recent exploration has shown another point of similarity: like Newfoundland, Greenland appears to have vast reservoirs of underwater oil AdvancingAdvancing ReservoirReservoir PerformancePerformance deposits off its coastline. With their newly established control over natural BakerBaker HughesHughes offersoffers regionalregional resourcesresources andand worldwideworldwide expertiseexpertise resources, these oil fields are seen by fforor CCanada’sanada’s EEastast CCoastoast fifields.elds. OOurur cconcernoncern fforor hhelpingelping yyouou rreduceeduce many as Greenland’s ticket to pros- ccosts,osts, mminimizeinimize rrisksisks andand iincreasencrease yyourour pproductionroduction iiss mmatchedatched bbyy perity, a refrain familiar to every a ccommitmentommitment ttoo hhealth,ealth, ssafetyafety aandnd tthehe environment.environment. 8 9 Newfoundlander. Finally, the two share 1 7 2 . similarities of geography as well as d e 3333 DDundeeundee AAvenuevenue v r e s geology, lying on a trajectory that e R s MMt.t. PPearl,earl, NLNL AA1N1N 44R6R6 t h g strategically arcs between Europe and i R l l A North America. d TTel:el: 7709.748.490009.748.4900 FFax:ax: 7709.748.493209.748.4932 e t a r This last point is crucial to develop- o p r o c n ments in communications that have I wwww.bakerhughes.comww.bakerhughes.com s e h g occurred over the last year. Until u H r e recently, Greenland relied on a satellite k a B 0 1 network augmented with microwave 0 2 links for communications, a slow and ©2010© Baker Hughes Incorporated.All Rights Reserved. 27198. Online extras: naturalresourcesmagazine.com | NR19 V21N2 2010:V20N3 2009 2/16/10 5:13 PM Page NR20 unreliable system at best. To improve capacity, because of the double link, to education, fishing technology and data things, TELE Greenland (the country’s meet all of Greenland’s broadband intensive oil communication like seis- state-owned telecom provider) decided needs. And of course the benefits work motic data.” He reels the list off quickly. to install a submarine fibre optic cable, both ways. Through Greenland and It’s obviously something he’s put a lot of which would run east to Iceland, where it Iceland to Copenhagen, Newfoundland thought into. could link in with the hookup to Europe, now has the fastest connection to Europe He sees the new fibre optic link as and west to Newfoundland to connect to in North America, a connection that no merely the start when it comes to North America. longer has to be funnelled through New Greenland’s potential interest for In September 2009, TELE Greenland’s York, as was previously the case. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; subsea cable station was opened in Milton Meanwhile, Memorial University of and the key to unlocking that potential is on Newfoundland’s Trinity Bay, not very Newfoundland is playing a significant natural resources. far from Heart’s Content where the first role in one of the most advanced data The Greenland government is actively transatlantic telegraph cable came ashore transfer networks in the world. The soliciting oil exploration and drilling in 1866.