FortisBC launches $400M expansion of B.C. LNG facility
by Canadian Manufacturing Staff
900,000 cubic metres of liquefaction capacity, 29 million cubic metres of storage capacity being added at Tilbury LNG facility
SURREY, B.C.—FortisBC Energy Inc. has launched the $400-million expansion of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Delta, B.C.
According to the company, it is adding more than 900,000 cubic metres of liquefaction capacity and 29 million cubic metres of storage capacity at its Tilbury LNG facility.
“As demand for natural gas increases around the world, British Columbia is uniquely positioned to take advantage. FortisBC’s investment is a vote of confidence in B.C.’s growing LNG industry, both for export and domestic use,” Premier Christy Clark, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, said in a statement released by FortisBC.
The expanded LNG plant will be powered by electric drives and air-cooled, according to the company, eliminating the need for cooling water.
FortisBC said the expansion allows it to “meet the growing demand for natural gas for transportation, (and) as an energy solution for remote communities.”
According to the company, it has provided more than $17.5 million in incentives to date for approximately 400 heavy-duty LNG and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, as well as incentives for five marine vessels.
Heavy-duty customers Vedder Transport Ltd., Arrow Transportation Systems Inc. and Denwill Enterprises Inc. all get their LNG from the Tilbury LNG facility.
The plant first opened in 1971, and is one of only two LNG facilities in Western Canada.
Both LNG facilities in Western Canada are operated by FortisBC.
Work on the expansion project will begin immediately, with a scheduled completion in the fourth quarter of 2016.
