Canada’s Woodfibre LNG has received regulatory approval from the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Squamish Nation for a second floating workforce accommodation vessel (floatel) to support construction at the construction site.
This regulatory approval marks another major construction milestone and reinforces Woodfibre LNG’s safe, low impact and environmentally responsible approach to workforce housing, the plant developer said.
The second floatel will enable the immediate creation of up to 900 new jobs and add 642 new rooms for skilled tradespeople to work onsite.
Bringing in additional workforce will be crucial to be able to complete the facility’s construction as quickly as possible and bring more Canadian LNG to global markets.
“The second floatel is a critical part of delivering this project safely, responsibly and on schedule,” said Luke Schauerte, Woodfibre LNG CEO. “By doubling onsite housing capacity, we can support more Canadian jobs today, sustain our construction momentum and move closer to delivering lower-emission Canadian LNG to global markets.
“The new floatel builds on a successful model with the same commitment to safety, environmental protection and respect for the local community,” he said.
The first floatel, ‘Isabelle X’, has been successfully operating onsite since June, 2024, demonstrating that by housing workers on board floating accommodation, the project can help ensure there is no impact on the strained Squamish housing market or public services.
The ‘Saga X’ is expected to arrive at Vancouver (BC) on 12th November, at which time it will undergo final refits, provisioning and regulatory inspections. The vessel will then be moored at the Woodfibre LNG site later this month.
All regulatory conditions governing the first floatel will also apply to the second.
Similar to the first floatel, Vancouver-based Bridgemans is the provider and operator of the new floatel.
