Latest news with #PrinceRupertGasTransmission
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
B.C. premier defends new LNG pipeline with terminus near Prince Rupert
B.C. Premier David Eby is defending the provincial government's approval to continue construction on a new pipeline project that will supply natural gas to a proposed floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal north of Prince Rupert, saying his government would not turn away investment in the province. The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project is a joint venture between the Nisga'a Nation and Texas-based Western LNG to supply natural gas to the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG facility, a project the province says is still undergoing environmental assessment. "The Ksi Lisims project is an Indigenous-owned project led by the Nisga'a Nation. They are a treaty nation that has control over their jurisdiction," Eby said, speaking from Seoul, South Korea, as he nears the end of his 10-day trade mission to Asia. "They have a vision for economic growth in the area, for their people, which includes selling B.C. resources into the Asian market, where I am right now." The Nisga'a Nation and Western LNG say the Ksi Lisims project would be a floating production facility capable of producing 12 million tonnes of LNG per year. The project faces opposition from several environmental groups and the Gitanyow hereditary chiefs, who argue it will have negative environmental consequences, including a risk to important salmon habitat. Tara Marsden, sustainability director for the Gitanyow hereditary chiefs, previously told CBC News there are concerns about Western LNG's financial backing from Blackstone Inc. Blackstone is a major American asset manager whose CEO publicly endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump and contributed to his election campaign — with Marsden saying the investment undermines any notion that the project is needed to push back against Trump's tariff threats. CBC News asked Eby whether the bulk of the profits from the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project would enrich a U.S. company. "We're not in the business of turning away investment in British Columbia," the premier responded. "Especially investment that assists us in diversifying our customers for our resources and allows us to get a higher price for those resources." The pipeline was first approved in 2014 under the ownership of Calgary-based TC Energy Corp, when it was meant to supply the now-cancelled Pacific NorthWest LNG terminal spearheaded by Malaysian energy giant Petronas. It was purchased by the Nisga'a Nation and Western LNG in 2024 under their revised proposal for the Ksi Lisims facility. Eby says he wants to work with Alberta Eby was also asked Monday about comments from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who said she could convince him to drop his opposition to a second crude oil pipeline from Alberta to B.C.'s North Coast. "I'm not the one who stands between Premier Smith and a pipeline to the coast. There's no proponent, there's no money, there's no project right now," Eby said. "In the event that Premier Smith is successful in assembling those things, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week he supports "nation-building projects," including a possible decarbonized oil pipeline — if he can find consensus among the said companies in South Korea that he's talking to are focused on bringing in hydrogen. He said that would involve Alberta using blue hydrogen, and B.C. exporting green hydrogen, which he said would aid in carbon transition. "I'm happy to talk to Premier Smith about our shared goals of increasing prosperity, about uniting the country," he told reporters. "Focusing on a project that currently does not exist, and focusing on our differences rather than where we can work together, is not the spirit." Eby travelled from Malaysia to Seoul where he met with officials from conglomerates like Hyundai and Samsung as well as the Canadian ambassador to South Korea. His trade mission to Asia, a bid to diversify the province's trading relationships amid the tariff war with the U.S., will wrap up Tuesday.
Hamilton Spectator
05-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
‘A long, hot summer': B.C.'s approval of PRGT pipeline sets stage for conflict, First Nations leader says
The British Columbia government gave a green light to an 800-kilometre natural gas pipeline on Thursday, paving the way for construction to start this summer — and setting the stage for what one First Nations leader warns could be a 'long, hot summer' of conflict. The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline will carry gas from northeast B.C. to the proposed Ksi Lisims gas liquefaction and export facility on the northwest coast near the Alaska border, crossing more than 1,000 waterways, including major salmon-bearing rivers and tributaries. In a press release, the BC Environmental Assessment Office gave the project a 'substantially started' designation, locking in its original environmental approval indefinitely. That original approval — for the pipeline to end in Prince Rupert, B.C — was granted in 2014 and expired last November. The assessment office said enough construction occurred before the expiry date to earn it the designation, even though the pipeline's new route takes it to a different location. The decision to deem the pipeline substantially started was authored by Alex MacLennan, chief executive assessment officer and deputy energy minister. In a report outlining the reasons for the decision, MacLennan acknowledged that First Nations, including the Gitxsan Wilps, raised a range of concerns about the project, including the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and uncertainty about the pipeline's final route. The assessment office is currently considering two requests from the proponents to change the pipeline's route to serve the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG facility. 'Though I recognize that this provides some uncertainty regarding the final route of the project, the significant investment in, and pursuit of, the amendments indicate to me that PRGT Ltd. continues to invest in the project and is committed to the project being completed,' MacLennan wrote. 'As for concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions, this matter is not relevant to the substantial start determination.' The Nisg̱a'a Lisims Government and Texas-based Western LNG are partnering to build the pipeline, after buying it from Calgary-based TC Energy last year. (TC Energy is the company behind the contentious Coastal GasLink pipeline , which saw protracted conflict during construction that led to more than 80 arrests of land defenders, observers and journalists.) While the Nisg̱a'a government has stated the project provides much-needed economic benefits to its citizens, other affected First Nations, including leaders in neighbouring Gitanyow and Gitxsan territories, have voiced their opposition and argue the PRGT pipeline will negatively impact lands and waters and populations of fish and wildlife. In a statement, Simooget (Chief) Watakhayetsxw Deborah Good said the decision 'isn't the end of the story.' Watakhayetsxw was one of the Gitanyow Chiefs who set up a blockade last August when pipeline construction started, barring any industry-related traffic from passing through. 'We'll continue to fight to protect our territory (Lax'yip) with all actions needed, in the courts and on the ground,' she said. 'From August to November 2024, we denied access for PRGT pipeline construction and we'll be continuing our efforts to ensure no construction happens on our territory,' she said. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, said approving the pipeline directly contradicts the government's stated commitment to upholding Indigenous Rights, which was passed into law in 2019 with B.C.'s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. 'There are First Nations who have very loudly stated their opposition to this pipeline and they will continue to do so,' Phillip said in a statement. 'The Declaration Act and interim approach are being tossed out the window. This is not a government who believes in reconciliation and it could trigger a long, hot summer.' Naxginkw Tara Marsden, Wilp Sustainability Director with the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs, questioned whether the project met criteria for the substantial start decision. While the definition of a substantial start is somewhat vague, the essence of the designation is an acknowledgement a project proponent has put in a significant amount of work to get a project going. The work done on the PRGT pipeline mainly consisted of clearing forest from a short section of the 800-kilometre route on Nisga'a lands. 'This decision makes a mockery of the true purpose and intent of what is considered to be a 'substantial start' for major infrastructure projects,' Naxginkw said in a statement. 'It leaves us asking, 'Why does the government have processes if it doesn't intend to follow them and continues to exclude concerns raised by impacted First Nations?' ' The pipeline and associated liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, Ksi Lisims LNG, are the subject of three lawsuits by Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and groups, including a legal challenge launched by Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs. 'Our livelihoods depend on healthy and abundant sockeye from the Nass and Skeena rivers,' Naxginkw said. 'This pipeline would cut across some of the healthiest intact salmon watersheds left in B.C.' Naxginkw previously told The Narwhal the conflict over the pipeline is pitting nation against nation, which she said is a distraction from the real issue. 'We're stuck in this cycle of people only paying attention when it's that really heated, race-based conflict and the fact that this is nation to nation is even juicier,' she explained. 'But that's not the story — the story is the climate is going to kill us all.' Natural gas is mostly composed of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide for its short-term warming impact on the planet. At every step of the process of extracting the fossil fuel for energy production — including at wellheads, along the pipeline and during the liquefaction, shipping, regasification and combustion processes — adds more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, intensifying the effects of climate change. When built, the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline will be able to transport 3.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Vancouver Sun
27-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Is LNG in B.C. falling behind? Here's the status of five major projects
The Ksi Lisims LNG project, which is backed by the Nisga'a First Nation, requires a key decision by environmental regulators before it can proceed. Ksi Lisims, which this month signed an agreement with French energy giant TotalEnergies SE to buy some of the liquefied natural gas from the project, needs a re-approval from the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office for the pipeline that would serve its plant. Ksi Lisims, with partner Western LNG, applied in November for a ruling from the assessment office that initial work undertaken on the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission line was enough to satisfy a requirement for 'substantial start' of construction by late last year. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. No one from the environmental assessment office was made available for an interview, but an email in response to Postmedia questions said the office expects to make its decision this spring. The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission line, under then-owner Calgary-based TC Energy, received environmental approval for the proposed 780-kilometre, 1.2-metre diameter pipeline in 2014. The pipeline was later bought by the Nisga'a and Western LNG. A five-year permit extension granted in 2019 required a substantial start of construction before November 2024 or it would expire. A recent assessment office email said the determination is an administrative decision and the necessary time is being taken to review all relevant information needed to decide whether work clearing work the right of way constitutes a substantial start. Ksi Lisims is supported by the Nisga'a Nation, which views the project as a cornerstone of its economic development. But it is opposed by other First Nations, including the Gitanyow Nation whose territory the pipeline would cross on 50 kilometres of its route, and a consortium of environmental groups. The email from the assessment office said the decision will be based on information provided by the pipeline's partners and First Nations and consultation with those nations 'throughout this process.' In the meantime, other B.C. LNG projects, with the potential to export about 34 million tonnes of natural gas annually, are proceeding at varying stages of construction. The most advanced is LNG Canada in Kitimat. It received a shipment of imported liquefied natural gas in April to use in testing equipment during its commissioning process. It expects to be producing its first gas for export within a few months. Construction on the $18-billion LNG Canada plant, a joint venture of Shell Canada, Malaysian state-owned Petronas, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corp. and Korean Gas Corp. started in 2019, along with its associated $14.5-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline, which is owned by TC Energy. At its outset, LNG Canada's two initial production units, referred to as 'trains' in the industry, will have the capacity to produce up to 14 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas a year. Partners in the consortium are considering a Phase 2 of the project to expand its capacity to 26 million tonnes of LNG a year. That Phase 2 expansion has political support in B.C. with Premier David Eby including the project on the list of major resource projects the projects is willing to 'fast track' to shore up the economy during the uncertainty of Canada-U.S. trade tensions. Woodfibre LNG, a subsidiary of Singapore-headquartered Pacific Energy Corp. received environmental approval for the its $5.1 billion LNG proposal in 2015 and kicked off major construction in 2023 with an expected completion date of 2027, according to Woodfibre. It is expected to have the capacity to produce up to 2.1 million tonnes of LNG a year. The project consists of the Woodfibre LNG plant, seven kilometres south of Squamish on the west side of Howe Sound on the former site of the Woodfibre pulp mill, and the Eagle Mountain pipeline, a 50 kilometre extension of FortisBC's pipeline network from Coquitlam. Woodfibre submitted an application in May seeking permission to moor an additional cruise-ship 'floatel' as accommodations for 900 workers alongside its initial 'floatel,' the MV Isabelle X, which houses 650 construction workers, to speed up progress. Cedar LNG, majority owned by the Haisla First Nation, is a joint venture with Calgary-headquartered Pembina Pipeline Corp. The proposal, in 2023, received environmental approval to build a floating LNG production facility on the Douglas Channel south of LNG Canada's project. The Cedar LNG joint venture made its final investment decision for the US$4 billion construction of the facility. Contractors Black & Veatch and Samsung Heavy Industries will build the plant's floating platform at shipyards in South Korea and transport it to the site, with an expected completion date in 2028. Once in commission, the plant will have the capacity to produce up to 3.3 million tonnes of LNG a year. FortisBC's original Tilbury LNG plant in Delta was opened in 1971 to produce LNG to be stored for times of peak demand in its domestic system. In 2018, a Phase 1 expansion increased its capacity to 250,000 tonnes of LNG a year to meet increasing domestic demand for use of gas as transportation fuel in trucking and in shipping. A Phase 2 projects remains under review by the environmental assessment office. Construction would start in 2026, expanding production to 2.5 million tonnes of LNG a year to supply domestic demand, but also open the potential for exports. depenner@
