Another Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facility is in the pipeline, so to speak, on the Salish Sea. Tsawwassen First Nation [TFN] members will vote Dec. 16 whether to permit an LNG export terminal on 80 acres of the nation’s industrial lands.

When the Nov. 16 announcement was made public, Chief Bryce Williams was at an LNG event at FortisBC’s Tilbury facility, nearby on the Fraser River. He later said that a consultation period with nation members had already started and that he would support the decision of voters.

That sort of consultation with members is now underway at another Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council nation looking at LNG. When Malahat announced in August a partnership with Steelhead LNG for a floating facility in Saanich Inlet, most community members were as surprised to learn of the project as were neighbouring First Nations and other communities. A new chief and council were elected on Nov. 2.

Meanwhile, FortisBC is one of the partners in the joint venture LNG proposal. The company’s Tilbury LNG facility has been operating for decades and the current expansion project has provided jobs and apprenticeship for First Nations. The stage was set for this collaboration when TFN and FortisBC signed a memorandum of understanding in 2012. The company is also involved in the Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre gas pipeline project near Sechelt that has the support of Skwxwú7mesh [Squamish] First Nation.

A SHIPPING POINT

The proposed facility, located at the far north end of Tsawwassen Drive near where truck and rail traffic enters Delta Port and Roberts Bank. It would take up about 25 per cent of the 330 acres of land that TFN currently has designated for industrial use. Natural gas would be carried through an extension of a current pipeline. At the new plant, the gas would be purified and liquefied and stored in thermos-like tanks until ready for shipping. The tanks would link to a vessel loading facility at Roberts Bank through a new pipeline. About five to six LNG carriers per month would visit the facility. A TFN information sheet said the nation “is committed to ensuring best practices are used in every aspect of the supply chain; from taking the natural gas out of the ground to loading it onto ocean… every step will be done in a manner which is consistent with TFN’s values and environmental interests.”

If voters approve of the project, an array of regulatory hurdles would need to be crossed before the anticipated start-up in 2022. But significant benefits would come before then in the form of 1,000 construction jobs and 50-100 permanent ones. Education and training programs would be put in place to ensure TFN members are given first opportunity to fill jobs at the facility. Qualified businesses in the nation would be given preference to deliver services to the proposed facility. And about 25 per cent of the site would be designed for community recreation activities. The nation would also receive ongoing financial benefits.

THREE OTHER PROJECTS

Just over a year ago, TFN announced the first projects on 70 acres of its industrial land. The serviced land, known as Tsawwassen Gateway Logistics Centre, included a large warehouse facility, a container examination centre and a cardlock truck fueling facility.