Imperial Oil Resources will be the designated operator of the pipeline systems and facilities owned by the Mackenzie Gas producers and the Mackenzie Valley pipeline co-venturers.

Staff will be needed to operate and maintain the pipelines and the pipeline facilities. The current expectation is that there will be staff onsite for an initial operating period after start-up. It is expected that the Inuvik area facility will be operated and maintained by personnel located onsite on an ongoing, full-time basis. After the initial operating period, the Storm Hills pigging facility, compressor stations, heater station, interconnect facility and block valve sites will likely not have staff onsite.

Personnel will visit these sites on a periodic basis for surveillance, maintenance and other operations activities, as required, including testing and troubleshooting, equipment starting and stopping, and maintenance such as equipment vibration surveys, filter and lube oil changes, and warehouse inventory re-supply. Operations and maintenance personnel will travel to these sites by all weather roads, winter roads, or by air.

The pipeline and pipeline facilities will be monitored continuously (24 hours a day, seven days a week) from a central operations control centre beginning at start-up and continuing throughout their operating life. Activities at the operations control centre will include adjusting flow rates, temperatures and pressures, reading process and equipment alarms and shut-downs.

Other seasonal and periodic work, such as regular surveillance and maintenance of the pipeline right-of-way and access roads, will also be required.

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