Halfway River First Nation has formed a new partnership with the Calgary based Arc Resources Ltd. to begin developing a natural gas field in the Montney region.
The agreement, announced at the end of July, allows the Nation’s own energy company, Tsaa Dunne Za Energy (TDZE), to develop up to 36 connected land parcels.
That’s about 23,000 acres of land, located right next to the existing Attachie project, operated by Arc resources.
TDZE will work with ARC Resources to develop part of the tenure land and use existing infrastructure already in place.
In July 2024, Halfway River First Nation finalized a historic deal giving it control of 34,000 hectares of natural gas rights in the Montney Region.
That “first of its kind” agreement with the province gave the Nation to decide how petroleum and natural gas resources are developed in the area.
In addition, it also gave them management of infrastructure assets, such as pipelines, production facilities, and electricity infrastructure.
The agreement was tied to a new landscape planning pilot designed to protect Treaty 8 rights while allowing sustainable development in northeastern communities.
The Attachie project falls within the area covered by this planning pilot.
“We are proud to participate in the landscape planning pilot through our Attachie project and advance responsible energy development in B.C.,” said ARC Resources president and CEO Terry Anderson.