LNG Canada is preparing to initiate the flaring process at its new facility in Kitimat in the upcoming weeks as part of its transition to full operations.
Speaking to Black Press at an open house May 15 in Kitimat, Teresa Waddington, vice-president of corporate relations, emphasized that flaring, though an occasional part of normal operations, is an essential aspect of the conditioning process.
During this phase, flaring will take place continuously for three months which Waddington says could be ‘annoying’ for residents.
“In conditioning, flaring at the site will be quite intense and continuous, and that is why we want to make sure people understand that it’s not going to be nice,” she said.
“I’ve lived beside facilities that I’ve run that have flared continuously for periods of time and it is annoying. But, I know that once we get through that phase, it gets better.
“We have tried our best to not be too optimistic because startups are so unpredictable.
“There are hundreds and thousands of instruments and there are so many things that need to be tested and checked.”
Calling it a highly-regulated process, Waddington said LNG Canada expects no health implications as a result of flaring. The company, however, has an adaptive management plan in place which will be evaluating the impact of the project on the community and taking measures as and when necessary, she said.
Brittany Bayne, secretary of the Kitimat Airshed Group, believes that although flaring is OK for the community, saying it could lead to a change in dynamics in the community as it would add to light pollution in the valley as well as noise pollution.
“We are continually working to educate the community so that there are no surprises,” Bayne said.
With more than 9,000 people employed in the construction process, the natural gas liquefaction plant is now nearing completion. “When we start to ramp down the construction workforce, the charter flights will probably reduce as well,” Waddington noted.
About 15 per cent of the total staff of LNG Canada lives in Terrace and the other 85 per cent chooses a smaller commute by staying in Kitimat. LNG Canada recently built over 20 houses in Terrace for support staff like construction workers.
“However, those houses will be returned to the market when we are done,” Waddington said.
Though LNG Canada has never disclosed the exact costs for the project, the $40-billion figure has been widely cited from its outset.
Waddington says LNG Canada is on track with the number and is meeting the expectations of its partners.
The project will be going into the production phase by mid-2025. “The second this thing starts running is a historic moment for Canada, and it is when we start making money, so everybody is excited but we’re saying mid-2025 right now and it should be more precise as we move forward,” Waddington said.
