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PETRONAS reps hold open house on planned LNG terminal on Lelu Island

PETRONAS and Progress Energy reps were in Prince Rupert and Port Edward this week to inform the public about plans for an LNG terminal.
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A preliminary rendering of the PETRONAS LNG plant on Lelu Island.

Representatives from PETRONAS and Progress Energy held a series of open houses this week to inform the public about plans for an LNG terminal on Lelu Island.

Current plans for the terminal call for the Environmental Assessment to be submitted in late 2013, with a final investment decision coming in late 2014 pending government approval of the project. If approved, construction on the terminal and an underground pipeline from northeastern BC would get underway with the terminal taking four years to complete and the pipeline taking three and a half years. PETRONAS expects the first LNG to be handled in mid-to-late 2018.

In terms of jobs PETRONAS anticipates 3,500 direct and indirect jobs related to construction and 200 to 300 jobs once the terminal is operational. However, people of Prince Rupert shouldn't expect an influx of people during construction as the company has plans for a completely self-sufficient construction camp on Lelu Island with its own food and recreational amenities.

The final design and capacity of the terminal is still being determined, but is expected to be made clear in the project description that should be filed by the end of December and is expected to include two or three . What is known, however, is that the jetty for loading the ships will be well away from Lelu Island. The dock is planned to be situated west of Agnew Bank at a depth of 15 metres, and will be served by a 2.7 kilometre trestle leading from the terminal to the dock.

The overall investment for the project is estimated to be $8 billion to $10 billion to bring LNG from the leased 700,000 acre area the group has on the North Montney area in northeastern BC.

PETRONAS spokesperson Tessa Gill said the company was happy with both the Monday night open house in Port Edward and the Tuesday night open house in Prince Rupert.

“Overall we were very pleased with the turnout... I think people were mainly supportive. People asked a lot of questions about the specific information and stayed a long time so we were very pleased with that,” she said.

“This was just the first open house on the project, and there will be more opportunity for people to come out and provide feedback to us.”

Additional information on the project can be found at www.petronasprogresslng.com/