Canada’s net-zero LNG export terminal taking shape as construction ops continue (Gallery)

Woodfibre Management, a privately held Canadian company based in Vancouver, is going full steam ahead with foundation and marine piling work to breathe life into its operated $5.1 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project.

The construction activities are ongoing on the Woodfibre LNG facility, including foundation and marine piling work for the LNG processing equipment and modules expected to arrive this year for the future installation of the planned 2.1 million-ton-per-year export terminal with 250,000 cubic meters (bcm) of floating storage capacity being built near Squamish, British Columbia (B.C.). The project is described as the world’s first LNG export facility to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2027.

The construction phase kicked off in August 2023 when Qingdao McDermott Wuchuan (QMW) fabrication yard, a joint venture of McDermott and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), started building the first out of 18 modules for the project. The delivery of all modules, totaling 34,359 MT, is scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.

Throughout 2024, the Woodfibre LNG project made significant strides, including the arrival of the floatel, progress on the marine offloading facility, the pouring of concrete foundations, and marine work to support mooring structures for the floating storage tanks in line with the federal, provincial, and Sķwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) requirements.

With the work on the south side of the site focused on the removal of old infrastructure and preparation for the floatel, creosote piles were removed, as was an old administrative building that dated back to the 1950s. New riprap – a layer of large stones, cobbles, or boulders—was placed along the shoreline to protect against erosion, and piles were installed to support mooring for the floatel, which arrived on site in June 2024 to provide accommodation for the project workforce.

Furthermore, Woodfibre LNG reports that significant work has been done north of Mill Creek on the construction of the marine offloading facility, which will receive modules later in 2025. The foreshore was built up, new riprap was installed along the shoreline, and in-water pile installation work was finished.

The operator underlines that rigorous environmental safeguards, including a marine mammal monitoring program, ensured work was completed in compliance with the environmental management plans to protect fish, habitat, and marine mammals.

Moreover, a lot was done to prepare the future location of the liquefaction facility, including early works like tree clearing and grubbing, blasting, and excavation of the slope and grading to create space for the future facility. The first foundations were poured in August 2024, and concrete work has continued throughout the fall and winter, paving the way for module arrival in 2025.

The foreshore and shoreline improvement work was undertaken at the north end of the site, along with piling to support the mooring structures for the floating storage tanks and ship-loading facilities. Woodfibre LNG highlights that the project is set to achieve further milestones in 2025, such as the arrival of the first modules and continued development toward the completion of the world’s first net-zero LNG export facility.

The project, encompassing the construction of a liquefaction train, a floating LNG storage, and offloading unit, an air-cooling system, and marine docking facilities for LNG carriers, is owned by Woodfibre LNG partnership, with 70% held by Pacific Energy Corporation and the remaining 30% by Enbridge.

This LNG development project, underpinned by three 15-year offtake agreements with BP, was estimated to cost about $1.6 billion before revision in the summer of 2022 to $5.1 billion.