Latest news with #KsiLisimsLNG
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Varcoe: Carney government needs 'quick wins' from energy projects and to address internal challenges on Bill C-5, says new report
Article content 'This is an existential moment for Canada where we have both an opportunity and an obligation to become both more prosperous and more sovereign.' Article content Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Calgary Herald recently it is 'highly likely' an oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast will be included on the federal list, although he said it will be up to private sector proponents to drive any proposal. Article content The report calls Bill C-5 a 'welcome transformative step' as it will allow Ottawa to streamline the authorization of major projects and approve them within two years, co-ordinated by a single federal office. It will also help meet the growing need for energy in the world. Article content 'There is low-hanging fruit. Some things are ready to go . . . Time is ticking,' report co-author Heather Exner-Pirot said in an interview. Article content 'Let's start seeing some action. Let's start seeing some projects.' Article content Article content If the changes under Bill C-5 had been in place for three energy projects that were completed earlier this decade — the Trans Mountain expansion, LNG Canada and the Coastal GasLink pipeline — it would have been valuable, but led to a 'relatively modest' average time savings of 1.5 years, the study notes. Article content These findings highlight the need to address challenges early in the development of a major project, it states. Article content Projects that should be on the list and can move quickly include the Ksi Lisims LNG project on the northwest B.C. coast, a second phase of LNG Canada, and steps to boost the capacity of Trans Mountain, said Exner-Pirot, who is also director of natural resources, energy and environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Article content However, the bill has sparked some criticism about the impact of speeding up the approval process, and Carney met with First Nations leaders last week and heard some of their concerns with Bill C-5. Article content Article content 'Free, prior and informed consent on First Nations Lands is non-negotiable. An advisory role is inadequate for real partnership,' Grand Chief Greg Desjarlais of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nation said Friday in a news release. Article content 'I will trust actions over words as we look to move forward.' Article content To mitigate risks and concerns about an expedited approval process, Ottawa needs to 'deepen Indigenous engagement . . . to ensure genuine, equitable partnerships and meaningful participation,' states the report from the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations, which includes academics, energy experts and business leaders. Article content 'Consultation should begin as early as possible and continue throughout the project lifecycle.' Article content The report says Ottawa should launch a formal process surrounding co-developing benefit-sharing and equity ownership agreements with Indigenous communities for major projects. It recommends transparent standards for consultation, such as timelines and public disclosure of the outcomes.
National Observer
4 days ago
- Business
- National Observer
Expert group says the next six months are 'crucial' for major projects bill success
Prime Minister Mark Carney 's government should prioritize Indigenous engagement and declare "low-risk, high-impact" projects as being in the national interest within the next six months to validate the major projects bill, an Ottawa-based group of experts says in a new paper. The Expert Group on Canada-US Relations at Carleton University released a white paper on the future of Canada's energy sector Monday morning, before Carney was set to meet with Canada's premiers in Huntsville, Ont. Carney asked to join the premiers during their annual summer premiers gathering after President Donald Trump threatened Canada with 35 per cent tariffs starting Aug. 1. The Building Canada Act, also known as Bill C-5, is a central piece of the Carney government's response to Trump's tariffs. The legislation gives the government the power to fast track projects like mines and pipelines deemed to be in the national interest, as the Liberal government seeks to shore up Canada's economy and rely less on trade with the United States. The expert group, co-chaired by former Canadian Chamber of Commerce president Perrin Beatty and Carleton University international affairs professor Fen Hampson, wrote that the next six months are critical for the signature piece of legislation to be seen as a success. Beatty said Trump's tariffs have created a "remarkable consensus" to change the way Canada conducts business. "For too long, we've been a nation of builders that can't get anything built, to the point where you get decision by delay, where projects get abandoned or not even proposed because of regulatory paralysis," Beatty said in an emailed response. "The prime minister has promised major improvements to the system, but to sustain and build the momentum, we have to show Canadians that the reforms are working." The white paper says the Carney government should designate national interest projects "immediately." That list should include liquefied natural gas, oil, nuclear, hydrogen and renewable energy infrastructure. The authors suggest deeming two LNG projects in northwestern BC, LNG Canada 2 and Ksi Lisims LNG, as being in the national interest because both have already cleared several regulatory hurdles. The Ksi Lisims LNG project is also a marine project, which puts it into federal jurisdiction. "These projects are more manageable through federal action, and the potential rewards for Canada — 50,000 jobs and $11 billion per year added to the GDP — are major," Beatty said. In order to deepen Indigenous engagement, the expert group says the government should formalize a co-developed benefit-sharing and equity process for land rights holders. Carney held his first of three meetings with Indigenous leaders on Thursday in Gatineau, QC, meeting with hundreds of chiefs. Some of the chiefs said they left the meeting feeling "cautiously optimistic," but others left early feeling that concerns they'd raised for weeks weren't being listened to. Still, Beatty called the meeting an "important first step." "The onus is on governments and business alike to demonstrate their good-faith commitment to the process and to communicate the tremendous opportunities these projects present for Indigenous communities," Beatty said. Winning the trust and confidence of Indigenous communities won't happen overnight, but the prime minister has demonstrated a commitment to making it happen, he said. Carney will co-host the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee with Natan Obed, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president, in Inuvik, N. W. T., on Thursday to continue discussions about the legislation.
Calgary Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Varcoe: Carney government needs 'quick wins' from energy projects and to address internal challenges on Bill C-5, says new report
Article content 'This is an existential moment for Canada where we have both an opportunity and an obligation to become both more prosperous and more sovereign.' Article content Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Calgary Herald recently it is 'highly likely' an oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast will be included on the federal list, although he said it will be up to private sector proponents to drive any proposal. Article content The report calls Bill C-5 a 'welcome transformative step' as it will allow Ottawa to streamline the authorization of major projects and approve them within two years, co-ordinated by a single federal office. It will also help meet the growing need for energy in the world. Article content 'There is low-hanging fruit. Some things are ready to go . . . Time is ticking,' report co-author Heather Exner-Pirot said in an interview. Article content 'Let's start seeing some action. Let's start seeing some projects.' Article content Article content If the changes under Bill C-5 had been in place for three energy projects that were completed earlier this decade — the Trans Mountain expansion, LNG Canada and the Coastal GasLink pipeline — it would have been valuable, but led to a 'relatively modest' average time savings of 1.5 years, the study notes. Article content These findings highlight the need to address challenges early in the development of a major project, it states. Article content Projects that should be on the list and can move quickly include the Ksi Lisims LNG project on the northwest B.C. coast, a second phase of LNG Canada, and steps to boost the capacity of Trans Mountain, said Exner-Pirot, who is also director of natural resources, energy and environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Article content However, the bill has sparked some criticism about the impact of speeding up the approval process, and Carney met with First Nations leaders last week and heard some of their concerns with Bill C-5. Article content Article content 'Free, prior and informed consent on First Nations Lands is non-negotiable. An advisory role is inadequate for real partnership,' Grand Chief Greg Desjarlais of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nation said Friday in a news release. Article content 'I will trust actions over words as we look to move forward.' Article content To mitigate risks and concerns about an expedited approval process, Ottawa needs to 'deepen Indigenous engagement . . . to ensure genuine, equitable partnerships and meaningful participation,' states the report from the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations, which includes academics, energy experts and business leaders. Article content 'Consultation should begin as early as possible and continue throughout the project lifecycle.' Article content The report says Ottawa should launch a formal process surrounding co-developing benefit-sharing and equity ownership agreements with Indigenous communities for major projects. It recommends transparent standards for consultation, such as timelines and public disclosure of the outcomes.
Calgary Herald
01-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Canada's historic first cargo of LNG sets sail for buyers in Asia
A tanker carrying the first cargo of liquefied natural gas from LNG Canada set sail Monday from British Columbia's northern coast, heralding the commercial startup of the $18-billion Shell PLC -led export terminal and ushering in Canada's long-awaited debut into the global LNG market. Article content The GasLog Glasgow, a vessel chartered by Shell, arrived early Saturday at the Port of Kitimat for loading and is expected to deliver the country's first large-scale cargo of LNG to Asia in the coming days. Article content Article content Article content 'We're very proud to be leading a new energy business in Canada at scale,' LNG Canada chief executive Chris Cooper said, calling it an 'historic' moment that shows the country can 'stand on its own two feet.' Article content Article content 'We're helping Canada diversify its export markets, and, in doing that, we're providing a secure supply of energy to folks in Asia who are looking to further decarbonize,' he said. Article content The inaugural cargo comes nearly 15 years after the first application for a licence to export LNG from the West Coast was submitted to federal regulators. Since that time, more than a dozen LNG projects aiming to capitalize on Canada's shorter shipping distances to Asia and abundant supply of natural gas have come and gone amid political flare-ups over pipelines, tightening environmental standards and shifting global market dynamics. Article content 'There were quite a lot of people trying to get LNG facilities to proceed. LNG Canada was the one that went ahead,' Cooper said. 'I think we've enabled the ecosystem for further investment. You see Woodfibre LNG coming, you see Cedar LNG and you see Ksi Lisims LNG also coming, so I think that catalyst is now started.' Article content Article content A lot of 'hopes and dreams' are tied to the success of LNG Canada, said Ian Archer, an associate director at S&P Global Inc. and an expert in North American natural gas markets. Article content Article content 'Not only for the backers of the project to prove that it works, but also for a lot of the projects that are now in the queue to say, 'Look, we can do this,'' Archer said. 'It's really a very significant event for Canadian natural gas, because not only does it provide the first gas that does not go to a single market, it also proves that the concept works and says that this is something that we can push forward and expand.'
Calgary Herald
06-06-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Pipeline planned to supply LNG project receives green light from B.C. regulator
Article content British Columbia has once again green-lit the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline, reaffirming an approval first issued under the former Christy Clark government for the line that will supply a major new liquefied natural gas export terminal proposed on the province's northern coast. Article content The decision by the head of B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) on Thursday means that PRGT's environmental assessment certificate will remain in effect for the life of the project, clearing a major regulatory hurdle for the 12-million-tonne-per-year (Mtpa) Ksi Lisims LNG project. Article content Article content Article content 'This is an important step, not just for PRGT, but for the Nisga'a Nation's vision of self-determination and long-term prosperity,' Eva Clayton, president of Nisga'a Lisims Government, which co-owns PRGT and Ksi Lisims with Houston-based Western LNG LLC, said in a statement. Article content Article content The floating LNG terminal proposed for Pearse Island, north of Prince Rupert, B.C., still awaits key environmental sign-offs from provincial and federal officials, but Thursday's decision confirms that the 750-kilometre pipeline intended to supply feed gas to the liquefaction facility can go ahead. Article content PRGT, which would transport around two billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas from northeastern B.C. to the West Coast, had initially been granted its certificate in 2014 when TC Energy Corp. advanced the project to supply the Petronas-backed Pacific NorthWest LNG project. Article content Article content But Petroliam Nasional Bhd. — the legal name of Malaysia's state-owned Petronas — cancelled Pacific NorthWest LNG in 2017 amid economic and regulatory headwinds, leaving PRGT to languish until Western LNG and the Nisga'a Nation bought the project in 2024, amending and shortening the proposed route to supply Ksi Lisims LNG. Article content Article content The long delay put the pipeline at risk of losing its environmental certificate since, under provincial rules, each certificate comes with a deadline by which a project must be substantially started and PRGT's was contingent upon a November 2024 start date. Article content But in his decision released Thursday, Alex MacLennan, head of the EAO, pointed to the clearing of 42 kilometres of the pipeline's right-of-way and the construction of permanent features identified in the project's plans, including nine bridges, 47 kilometres of roads and a lodge.
