First LNG carrier arrives in Kitimat, B.C., as $40B liquefied natural gas plant prepares to start

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 2:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A 204-metre tanker vessel has arrived connected B.C.'s North Coast, making it the archetypal liquefied earthy state (LNG) bearer to get successful Kitimat, as a large vigor export task prepares to travel online.

The Maran Gas Roxana, sailing nether the emblem of Greece, made its mode done the Douglas Channel Wednesday, carrying a load of LNG that volition beryllium utilized for instrumentality investigating astatine the LNG Canada site.

If each goes to plan, it is expected to export 14 cardinal tonnes of earthy state a year, creating adjacent to 300 ongoing jobs for an estimated worth of $575 cardinal annually for 40 years, according to the B.C. government. A projected Phase 2 of the task would summation the export magnitude to 28 cardinal tonnes annually.

At a outgo of $40 billion, the Canadian authorities says the task is the "largest azygous backstage assemblage concern successful the past of the country," with backing from Shell, Petronas PetroChina, Misubishi Corporation and the Korea Gas Corp.

"LNG Canada wishes to convey each of the individuals and organizations progressive with helping america safely scope this important milestone," LNG Canada firm relations vice-president Teresa Waddington said successful a statement. 

"Together, we're making history."

LNG projects person been supported by successive B.C. Liberal and NDP governments arsenic a cardinal country for economical maturation and reduced reliance connected the United States.

Natural Resources Canada estimates LNG has the imaginable to adhd $7.4 cardinal to the nationalist system a twelvemonth by opening up caller overseas markets for merchandise that is different landlocked to North America.

With the uncertainty surrounding Canada-U.S. commercialized relations, the national authorities has precocious invested caller money in processing B.C.'s LNG industry, with Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson saying "the request to physique a resilient system with caller export opportunities for Canadian vigor suppliers has ne'er been clearer."

Critics, however, accidental the projects undermine the province's clime goals by creating much fracking and pipelines overall.

Testing for export

The LNG Canada works volition person earthy gas, transported via a 670-kilometre pipeline, from adjacent Dawson Creek, chill it, and vessel it to Asian markets.

Prior to export, the state needs to beryllium cooled to astir -160 C to alteration it into liquid, which makes it easier and safer to ship. It's estimated that B.C. has stores of 93 trillion cubic metres of earthy gas, mostly recovered successful the northeast.

The state that arrived connected this week's carrier has already been cooled and volition tally done the strategy successful bid to marque definite everything is operational.

As the investigating takes place, flaring volition beryllium much predominant and disposable successful the community, arsenic well.

WATCH | A video produced by LNG Canada astir flaring: 

Environmental, energy concerns

The task has the backing of the provincial and national governments, arsenic good arsenic support from 25 First Nations.

Its advocates accidental LNG is the cleanest-burning fossil substance successful the satellite and helps regenerate emissions worldwide, contributing to planetary clime goals.

Critics, however, argue LNG creates its ain emissions done the liquefaction and proscription process, arsenic good arsenic done the drilling and flaring of earthy gas.

Earlier this year, a conjugation of advocates, businesses, academics and First Nations operating nether the B.C. Climate Emergency Campaign gave B.C. a failing people connected respective climate-action goals, successful portion due to the fact that of its enactment for LNG projects.

They say building monolithic LNG terminals that necessitate immense upfront superior investments "locks in" aboriginal greenhouse state emissions astatine a clip erstwhile the satellite needs to beryllium readying for a lower-carbon future.

"We person to recognize that LNG is not the answer. The marketplace is global, it's volatile and it's excessively unsafe and excessively destructive," Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, which supports the group's campaign, said astatine a quality league successful January.

In the report, he's quoted arsenic saying that continuing with LNG-project permitting and terminal development, on with fracking, is irresponsible successful the midst of a clime emergency.

One mode companies are trying to marque the projects much environmentally affable is by utilizing electricity, alternatively than earthy gas, to run, but that presents its ain challenges.

According to documents archetypal obtained by the Narwhal nether Freedom of Information requests, a briefing enactment prepared for Premier David Eby successful March 2024 showed that 3 projects, including Phase 2 of LNG Canada, would necessitate astir 1,400 megawatts of powerfulness to tally connected electricity, the equivalent of powering astir 600,000 homes.

LNG Canada's Phase 2 connected its ain requires astir fractional the energy being produced by the recently operational Site C dam, the documents show.

As it stands, the projected 2nd signifier of the task is presently slated to travel online utilizing natural-gas-powered turbines and gradually displacement to energy arsenic much becomes disposable done B.C.'s efforts to standard up production.