Spectra Energy Corp announced that the company has signed a Project Development Agreement with BG Group to jointly develop plans for a new natural gas transportation system from northeast B.C. to serve BG Group’s potential liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Prince Rupert, on the province’s northwest coast. Spectra Energy and BG Group will each initially own a 50 percent interest in the proposed transportation project.
Spectra Energy will be responsible for construction and operation and BG Group has agreed to contract for all of the proposed capacity.
The approximately 850-kilometre (525 mile), large diameter natural gas transportation system will begin in northeast B.C. and end at BG Group’s potential LNG export facility in Prince Rupert. The new transportation system will be capable of transporting up to 4.2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. The project also will connect with the Spectra Energy system at Station 2 (southwest of Fort St. John), a growing natural gas hub that collects supply from multiple areas of the province and other supply basins in Western Canada.
“We are excited to be partnering with BG Group, a recognized world leader in natural gas and more specifically, LNG,” said Greg Ebel, president and chief executive officer, Spectra Energy . “This project offers B.C. a unique opportunity to access new markets, strengthen its energy infrastructure, engage stakeholders in economic growth and job creation, and ultimately secure the province’s position as a competitive energy leader.”
“Furthermore, today’s announcement initiates our next wave of investment opportunity in B.C. We are ideally positioned to create further value for our investors by leveraging surplus B.C. natural gas supplies and facilitating its export to high-demand markets in Asia. This, in turn, will provide multiple opportunities for further investment in our gathering and processing facilities in the province,” added Ebel.
“For more than half a century, Spectra Energy has been a part of communities in B.C.,” said Doug Bloom, president, Spectra Energy Transmission West . “This project will build on our expertise and track record of delivering natural gas responsibly, listening to the needs of Aboriginal and local communities, and protecting the environment, as we help deliver on B.C.’s energy potential.”
Working together with affected stakeholders and based on preliminary assessments of environmental, historical, cultural and constructability factors, early conceptual routes have been developed. Spectra Energy and BG Group will continue engaging with interested and affected stakeholders, including Aboriginal and local communities, environmental organizations and regulatory agencies, to further refine the project route.
In addition, the companies will spend the next several years closely conferring with stakeholders and working through the permitting process for the proposed transportation system. This work will include filing a project application with the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office. Based on the results of these efforts, project construction is currently expected to commence mid-decade, with service starting by the end of the decade.
As part of this commitment to transparently communicate and foster relationships in the province, Spectra Energy also announced “Energy for BC”. The new outreach initiative is designed to engage with stakeholders on the jobs, revenues and environmental benefits that natural gas can create in British Columbia.
[mappress] LNG World News Staff, September 10, 2012; Image: Spectra Energy