With global demand for cleaner energy on the rise, South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) is embedding itself into Canada’s energy ecosystem by showcasing a streamlined, standardized floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) design, aiming to trim development timelines, slash project costs, and forge local partnerships across British Columbia to create new business opportunities.
Samsung Heavy Industries has presented a standardized FLNG platform optimized for Canada’s natural gas market, providing a tailored solution for future LNG development. The company hosted the Canada FLNG Technical Forum in Vancouver on October 23, in cooperation with Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) Vancouver, bringing together approximately 100 representatives from local resource developers, First Nations communities, government and financial institutions to discuss cooperation in the LNG segment.
Wang-Keun Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of SHI’s Shipbuilding & Offshore Business Division, commented: “FLNG is a competitive solution that can connect Canada’s abundant natural gas resources with global markets. With our proven technology and tailored solutions, we aim to become a key partner supporting the growth of Canada’s LNG industry.”
SHI, which emphasizes that Canada has abundant natural gas resources and favorable access to Asian markets, used the forum to highlight its standardized FLNG platform optimized for the country’s natural gas development and export environment.
The company points out that FLNG, which enables natural gas produced onshore to be liquefied and stored at sea before being exported, is drawing growing attention as an environmentally friendly and economically viable alternative for LNG development.
With seven of the 11 newbuild FLNG orders placed worldwide already secured, Samsung Heavy Industries is building on the engineering expertise accumulated through these projects through a standardized FLNG platform for the Canadian market.
“The standardized platform reduces repetitive new-design work and allows SHI to focus on meeting and optimizing project-specific requirements, helping optimize overall project timelines and improve investment efficiency,” underlined the South Korean player.
The firm introduced Cedar FLNG as a representative project tailored to the Canadian market. The work on this floating facility, which weighs approximately 50,000 tonnes, was awarded to SHI in 2024 and launched in June.
The unit will be deployed off Kitimat, British Columbia, where it will receive natural gas through an onshore pipeline, liquefy and store the gas offshore, and transfer the LNG to carriers for export. The FLNG is expected to play an important role in supporting Canada’s LNG exports.
Cedar LNG recently reached a significant milestone, with overall construction now more than 70% complete, achieving pipeline progress in Kitimat and inroads on its FLNG facility in South Korea, keeping the project on track to deliver what is said to be the world’s first Indigenous majority-owned LNG facility by late 2028.
SHI further explained that the forum in Vancouver featured a range of discussions aimed at connecting its standardized FLNG platform with actual projects, as LNG developers shared their experience in advancing projects, while participating financial institutions presented approaches to financing support.
Given that government permitting, gas supply and infrastructure, and the participation of First Nations require cooperation among multiple stakeholders in Canada, the South Korean firm explored concrete areas of collaboration with government representatives, LNG developers, First Nations communities, and financial institutions across the broader LNG ecosystem.
Samsung Heavy Industries plans to move beyond the role of an EPC contractor by providing tailored solutions from the early stages of project development and working closely with local partners, with the aim of supporting future LNG projects in Canada while creating new opportunities in the global FLNG market.
Stuart Taylor, Cedar LNG’s Executive Advisor, underscored: “SHI’s floating LNG solution could bring significant benefits to Canada’s LNG industry by helping optimize project cost and overall development schedule while minimizing environmental impact and preserving Canada’s natural environment.”