Woodfibre LNG project gets green light from parent company

Pacific Oil & Gas Limited, the parent company that owns Woodfibre LNG (WLNG) has authorized the funds necessary for the WLNG project to go ahead.

The $1.6 billion project would create 650 jobs during construction and 100 operational jobs over the 25 year lifespan of the project. Premier Christy Clark was on hand for the announcement and said it was one of the largest private investments ever made in the Lower Mainland in our history.

Clark also acknowledged that there is still work to be done in order for the project to come to fruition. Once in operation the facility will export about 2.1 million tonnes of LNG per year over 25 years. Clark says every ship that leaves the WLNG facility will have two pilots on board and will be escorted by three tugs. Howe Sound will see on average, 3 ships per month. “It should be a minimal impact in terms of people’s experience of ships going by, although ships are going by all the time here in any case. But we are going to make absolutely sure that every single one of them has all the protection that they need to make sure this is absolutely done right.”

Clark said what happened to the Woodfibre LNG / Fortis BC office on Thursday when it was set ablaze was “an absolutely unacceptable way to express your opposition in a democratic society, burning things down, using violence is never going to be the answer in a democratic society. I think we can all agree on that wherever we sit on these projects.”

Woodfibre LNG Country Manager and Vice President of Corporate Affairs Byng Giraud says “building a project that is right for Squamish and right for BC is our priority… which is why we made the decision to use electricity to power our facility, instead of natural gas, following community concerns over air quality.”

The company will use electric drive (eDrive) to power the facility, following the Province’s announcement that it would offer a new eDrive electricity rate to LNG proponents that chose to use electric drives for compression as part of their final investment decisions.

In a statement District of Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman says; “This news isn’t surprising given that WLNG has acted as if it were going to proceed for several months now. We believe the new eDrive rate has helped facilitate the business decision as to whether or not this project is viable. The project has been and will continue to be a controversial proposal in Squamish. We, as a community, have extremely high expectations regarding the safety of our community, the safety of our waterways and the protection of our environment.”

Pending permitting, construction for the WLNG project could being in 2017, with operation in 2020. It would be B.C.’s first LNG plant.