LNG Canada’s export plant development is to receive an LNG cargo in early April at its Kitimat marine terminal, British Columbia for equipment testing and commissioning.
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This delivery is critical to the safe start-up and commissioning process now underway, and to achieving the first export cargo by the middle of 2025.
Joint Venture partner, PETRONAS has estimated that the first cargo will be exported in July, later than planned, due to extreme winter weather conditions.
LNG Canada said the plant is in the commissioning and start-up process and has not commenced operations or started producing LNG.
Introducing LNG to the facility is required to cool down the LNG tank and operate equipment at cryogenic (low temperature) conditions in early testing.
LNG Canada also said that it did not anticipate that additional import LNG shipments would be required.
Explaining the arrival process, the company said that the LNGC will notify Canadian authorities (Transport Canada, Canada Border Services Agency and Canadian Coast Guard) 96 hours prior to its arrival at the Triple Island pilot station (Prince Rupert, BC).
On her arrival at the pilot station, a team of BC Coast pilots will board the vessel and guide her to the LNG Canada marine terminal in Kitimat, a distance of 159 nautical miles. A HaiSea Marine escort tug will be at the pilot station to provide an escort for the transit.
LNG from the vessel will be delivered ashore via the terminal’s loading line in phases to cool down pipe work and the LNG storage tank.
It is anticipated that the discharge may take three to four weeks to complete.
LNG Canada is a joint venture involving Shell, through its affiliate Shell Canada Energy (40%); PETRONAS, through its wholly-owned entity, North Montney LNG Limited Partnership (25%); PetroChina Company, through its subsidiary PetroChina Canada (15%); Mitsubishi Corp, through its subsidiary Diamond LNG Canada Partnership (15%); and Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Kogas Canada LNG (5%). It is operated by LNG Canada Development Inc.
The plant will initially consist of two LNG processing units (trains) and is a long-life asset with a 40-year export license enabling the export up to 14 mill tonnes of LNG per annum, the developer said.
