Report details flaring equipment problems, emissions exceedances at LNG Canada

A flare stack burns off excess gas at a processing facility. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

An emissions report LNG Canada filed to the BC Energy Regulator details operational issues at the plant in March as it continued to surpass the amount of gas it is allowed to burn off through flaring.

The report was obtained by University of Victoria air quality researcher Laura Minet under freedom of information proceedings and shared with The Canadian Press.

The document says a crack developed on the plant’s warm/wet flare tip on Feb. 18, followed by another five days later, and that work to replace that component is set to begin in mid-June.

In the meantime, gas that would have gone through that flare tip is being diverted to a spare one, which the report said was the largest source of flaring by volume during the month.

LNG Canada also wrote in the report that during March 2026, the acid gas incinerator on one of two production trains was off-line for all of March for an extended maintenance outage.

Meanwhile the average volume of cold/dry flares during the month was three times the amount allowed under LNG Canada’s permit.

“The regulator should be holding LNG Canada accountable to its permits and if LNG Canada is not able to meet those permits then it should issue a stop-work order until it fixes the problem with the flare tip and can operate within the conditions of its permit,” said Tracey Saxby, executive director at My Sea to Sky in Squamish, B.C., the site of the under-construction Woodfibre LNG project.

LNG Canada said in a public notice last month that flaring ensures gas is burned in a controlled and efficient way.

“It is a critical part of safely operating a facility of this scale and is not expected to be routine during regular operation,” LNG Canada said in a public notice last month.

LNG Canada is led by Shell Canada Ltd. alongside Korean, Chinese, Malaysian and Japanese partners. The plant in Kitimat, B.C., started up last summer, marking the first time Canadian liquefied natural gas cargoes could make their way across the Pacific in specialized tankers. The gas is piped from wells in northwestern Alberta and northeastern B.C. and then chilled into a liquid state.

Several other projects are under construction or in development on the West Coast. The LNG industry has been heralded as a way to elevate Canada’s status as a stable global energy supplier amid geopolitical turmoil. A second phase of LNG Canada and another project further north up the coast called Ksi Lisims, have been deemed projects of national interest by the federal government, which is looking to speed along regulatory approvals.

This report by Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press, was first published May 12, 2026.