Apparent Construction Cost of Woodfibre LNG Nearly Doubles

Developers have been kicking around plans for LNG exports from British Columbia (BC), Canada’s westernmost province, for more than a decade, with more than 20 projects on the drawing board at one point. That long list has been whittled down to just three that have reached the point of final investment decision (FID) — a hard plan to proceed to construction and startup. One of those projects, LNG Canada, should be sending out LNG as soon as the end of this year, placing Canada firmly on the map of LNG-exporting nations. In today’s RBN blog, we take a closer look at the three projects and hint at plans by a handful of contenders vying to join the LNG export party. 

There finally seems to be some momentum building for additional LNG export projects on Canada’s West Coast. Major pipeline and midstream operator Enbridge announced in late July that it was making an investment in Woodfibre LNG, a smaller-scale export project that has already come a long way in terms of approvals, pipeline connections, locking up gas supplies, and initial financing. With the Enbridge announcement — and the financial and technical clout the company brings to the table — it is now looking assured that the project will commence construction next year and be exporting LNG by 2027. In today’s blog, we take a detailed look at Woodfibre LNG.

Shipping large volumes of LNG from Canada’s West Coast across the Pacific Ocean to gas-hungry markets in Asia has been a dream nearly two decades in the making. After a great deal of work and patience, three projects have moved into the construction phase, with the most advanced — LNG Canada — on the cusp of accepting its first test-gas volumes, with exports possible by the end of the year. Even with all this progress, three additional projects are vying for the opportunity to join Canada’s LNG export party, as we discuss in today’s RBN blog.