Canada takes聽a step closer to exporting LNG to Asia with approval from TransCanada's natural gas pipeline, which will carry gas to the LNG Canada terminal in British Columbia to allow for the eventual exportation from聽the terminal to Asian markets.聽
TransCanada Corporation, a major North American energy infrastructure company,聽announced on聽Friday that its聽Coastal GasLink pipeline project gained an environmental assessment certificate from a regulatory agency in聽British Columbia, Canada.
The 670-kilometer-long natural gas pipeline project will be constructed from the聽northeast聽of British Columbia to the聽west coast of the province where聽it will reach聽the聽proposed LNG Canada terminal in聽Kitimat,聽according to聽the statement.聽
The LNG Canada terminal is a project聽to export Canadian natural gas from the terminal in Kitimat to Asian markets that聽will be built and operated with global energy giants - Shell, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and Korea聽Gas, according to the LNG Canada website.聽聽
"Achievement of an Environmental Assessment Certificate is a significant milestone for both Coastal GasLink and TransCanada," said Russ Girling, president and chief executive officer of TransCanada, in a statement on TransCanada's website.聽
The initial capacity of the pipeline will allow the shipment of approximately 2-3 billion cubic feet (60-90 million cubic meters) per day of natural gas, with an expansion capability of approximately 5 billion cubic feet (150 million cubic meters) per day, said TransCanada in the statement.聽
The certificate was issued with some environmental, social, economic, heritage and health聽conditions by the Environmental Assessment Office of British Columbia.聽
Canada is聽the fourth-largest natural gas exporter in the world聽after聽Russia, Norway聽and Qatar. By end of聽2012,聽it had聽67 trillion cubic feet (2 trillion cubic meters) of聽proved natural gas reserves,聽according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.聽
By Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency