December 2015 Vol. 242, No. 12
Projects
Prince Rupert Project Receives Construction/Operation Permits
TransCanada has final permits from the BC Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC), giving regulatory approval for construction and operation of the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline project (PRGT).
“Receiving the full complement of 11 pipeline and facility permits is a major milestone for the project, and concludes an exhaustive regulatory process that we embarked on more than two years ago,” said Tony Palmer, PRGT president.
The BCOGC permits cover the entire 900-km route from north of Hudson’s Hope, B.C. to Lelu Island, off the coast of Port Edward, near Prince Rupert. The permits approve construction of three compressor stations and a meter station where the gas is to be delivered to the Pacific NorthWest (PNW) LNG facility. The PRGT project – 780 km of land pipeline and 110 km of marine pipeline – will connect the natural gas production in the Montney fields of northeastern B.C. with the proposed PNW LNG liquefaction facility on Lelu Island.
For PRGT to proceed with construction, PNW LNG needs a positive decision from the federal government under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. Once approval is received, and PNW LNG has confirmed its decision to proceed with the project, PRGT will begin site preparation for camp locations and right-of-way clearing, with start-up of pipeline construction activities shortly thereafter.
The BCOGC pipeline permits include 70 conditions which will govern implementation of the project.
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