Eby announces first LNG shipment from B.C.

British Columbia Premier David Eby says that first-ever shipment of liquefied natural gas from the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat is set to head out in the coming days.

Eby says the shipment will go to international markets around the world and will be a major step in making the province and Canada as a whole more economically independent from its current main trading partner, the U.S.

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“In making this country strong and ensuring that we’re able to stand on our own two feet,” Premier Eby said Wednesday, the province “has a strong and important role to play.”

“Diversifying our market partners and strengthening our economy and reducing our dependence on the United States,” Eby added.

Kitimat, roughly 650 kilometers northwest of Vancouver, is connected to the Pacific Ocean via the Douglas Channel, from where the LNG cargo ships depart on their journey to Asian markets.

“This is a great news, not just for Kitimat”

The terminal in Kitimat, operated by LNG Canada, is the first large-scale LNG export project in North America with direct access to the Pacific.

“We are getting ready for the celebration, seeing that first shipment go off,” said Kitimat mayor Phil Germuth in an interview with 1130 News Radio.

“Kitimat is a small town and I think this project is a great showcase, not just for Kitimat, but for the country,” he added.

“LNG Canada will have the lowest carbon footprint of any major LNG facility on Earth,” explained Germuth.

Germuth says that he is proud of his community to have the LNG terminal built.

“This is a great news, not just for Kitimat, but, for the for the economy of the region, the province and the country,” he said.

Plan to export 14 million tonnes of LNG annually

Compared to routes from the U.S. Gulf Coast, This access helps cut shipping time nearly in half to its destination in East Asia.

In the coming days, it’s set to begin exporting roughly 14 million tonnes of LNG every year to Asian markets.

The premier says the project will help bring in billions of dollars over the next forty years.

The $40 billion project is also the largest private sector investment in Canadian history.

The LNG facility receives its natural gas via the Coastal GasLink pipeline from near Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C., where the LNG is being extracted.

On June 22, a spokesperson of the Canada LNG facility in Kitimat confirmed the first production of LNG.

During a media briefing on Wednesday, Premier Eby also announced that other major economic projects in B.C. are moving ahead.

Among others, he mentioned the extension of the LNG facility in Kitimat known as “phase two of their pipeline project.”

— With files from Michael Williams.