Squamish, B.C., LNG facility plans to achieve net-zero emissions at operation's start

Workers walk towards a power plant used by a former pulp mill at the Woodfibre LNG project site near Squamish, B.C., on Friday November 4, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Squamish, B.C. — Proponents of a British Columbia liquefied natural gas export facility have unveiled plans to achieve net-zero emissions commitments in the construction phase and for its future operations.

Woodfibre LNG says in a statement it plans to meet net-zero emissions by the time operations start at the south coast export facility in 2027.

Company president Christine Kennedy says emission reduction opportunities are a priority for the project as it implements a strategy that will result in the world's first net-zero facility.

She says Woodfibre LNG will be able to reach the goal with electrical compressors, using 14 times fewer emissions than a gas-burning LNG plant.

Kennedy says Woodfibre LNG will also reduce emissions through carbon credits from the nearby Cheakamus Community Forest, a nature-based carbon offset project in Whistler, B.C., where the municipality and Squamish and Lil'wat nations are partners.

The B.C. government introduced a framework last week that will require new liquefied natural gas facilities to have credible plans for net-zero emissions by 2030.

“Alongside the leadership and vision set out by the province's new Energy Action Framework, achieving net zero allows Woodfibre LNG to advance the global energy transition, furthering economic reconciliation and contributing to British Columbia's standard of living,” says Kennedy in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2023.