As of 8 January 2018 MGM Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Paramount Resources, and 50/50 partner Shell Canada was officially awarded on 19 September 2016 a Significant Discovery License SDL 151 over the East Mackay shale oil discovery drilled by the partnership in February 2013 in the Mackenzie Plain Basin. MGM and Shell Canada will each hold a 50% working interest in the new license. The award was back dated for administrative purposes following the relinquishment of EL 474. (see related article) The 427.6 sq km SDL was carved out of the MGM operated exploration license EL 474 and is located 11 km southwest of the town of Fort Norman and 78 km southeast of the Norman Wells Field. Following the issuance of SDL 151 EL 474 was relinquished in its entirety. Three additional SDLâs were also issued in February 2016 over the discovery. Significant Discovery License in the northern territories do not carry work commitments and are issued with no expiration due to the remoteness of the area and the lack of infrastructure to bring product to market. These terms were put in place when exploration activity was just getting underway following the discovery of Prudhoe Bay Field in Alaska to encourage exploration in the remote territories of northern Canada. Several provinces in eastern Canada have revised the SDL terms to include a rental scheme which begins at issue but it remains to be seen if that will occur in the northern provinces.
Paramount Resources, and 50/50 partner Shell was awarded Licenses SDL 151 & 152, located in the Northwest Territories.