Skip to content

Coastal GasLink receives first delivery of pipe sections

Company expects to begin welding and pipe laying in 2020
19685420_web1_natural-gas-pipe-source-coastal-gaslink.png__960x536_q85_autocrop_crop-scale_subsampling-2_upscale-copy
Coastal GasLink pipe sections on the ground at the Port of Stewart during the week of Dec. 2, 2019. (Coastal GasLink photo)

Coastal GasLink has pipe on the ground in northern B.C.

The natural gas pipeline operator confirmed Friday it has received its first shipments of pipe to storage sites north of Kitimat and in Chetwynd, and in Stewart.

Laying pipe is still months away.

“Steel pipe is one of the longest lead time items for any pipeline project and it is important that all materials are available for pipeline assembly and installation once site preparation is complete,” said its most recent project update.

Most of the pipe is being sourced in Canada, with the remainder coming from two mills in India and Japan.

Other delivery locations include rail siding sites at Chetwynd, Terrace, Prince George and Houston.

“Pipe will be delivered at varying times and locations over the next 18 months and is dependent on when the pipe arrives from the manufacturer, among other factors such as where it’s received, proximity to the storage site, and weather,” the email said.

Approximately 390 tonnes of pipe will go into the 670-kilometre route from the gas fields of northeast B.C. to the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat.

As of Nov. 18, contractors have cleared 14 per cent of the route. Construction has employed 1,070 people.

So far, the majority of the clearing activity has concentrated on the two end sections (1 and 8), from Groundbirch to south of Chetwynd, and from south of Smithers to Kitimat with 41 per cent and 44 per cent completed, respectively.

Clearing has begun on sections 2 (south of Chetwynd to south of Mackenzie) and 3 (south of Mackenzie to north of Prince George).

Sections 4 through 7, from north of Prince George to south of Smithers, are still in pre-construction stages.

Another recent milestone was the opening of the first work camp. Sukunka Lodge, 42 kilometres south of Chetwynd, opened Oct. 30 and will house 700 workers when construction reaches its peak in the South Peace region next fall.

The assembly of LNG Canada’s work camp in Kitimat is also well underway.

READ MORE: LNG Kitimat work camp takes shape



editor@interior-news.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter



Thom Barker

About the Author: Thom Barker

After graduating with a geology degree from Carleton University and taking a detour through the high tech business, Thom started his journalism career as a fact-checker for a magazine in Ottawa in 2002.
Read more