Canada’s multi-billion LNG project seeks permit for new floatel to create 900 more jobs

Woodfibre Management, a privately held Canadian company based in Vancouver, is putting the wheels in motion to clear the regulatory hurdles to bring a second floating workforce accommodation, also known as a floatel, to its operated $5.1 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project, under development in British Columbia, Canada. This move will spur a headcount increase, expanding its workforce to include 900 more job openings.

While construction activities continue at the Woodfibre LNG site, the firm has disclosed plans to submit an application to regulatory agencies to add a second workplace accommodation unit at the project site by mooring a second floatel adjacent to the current one, the MV Isabelle X, which is located seven kilometers outside of the community of Squamish.

This is set to bring approximately 900 skilled trades jobs to the construction project. The company claims that the MV Isabelle X has been providing a purpose-built live-work accommodation on-site outside of Squamish, minimizing any potential impact on the local housing market, local traffic, or additional pressure on civic or health care services.

Luke Schauerte, CEO of Woodfibre LNG, commented: “It is clear that Canada is looking to diversify its energy markets, and when complete, Woodfibre LNG will do exactly that by making more Canadian LNG available to Asian markets.

“If approved, the addition of a second floatel creates more than 900 new jobs and allows Woodfibre LNG to answer the call to advance and diversify Canadian energy exports, provide more employment opportunities sooner and accelerate construction of the world’s first net zero LNG export facility.”

The requirement to house the LNG project’s non-local construction workforce on the floatel was established through an amendment to the project’s environmental assessment certificate approved by the provincial government on November 1, 2023.

Subsequently, on December 4, 2023, Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) approved an amendment to the Squamish Nation environmental assessment agreement to support the floatel. This second floatel will now undergo the same regulatory review process through multiple levels of regulatory oversight.

Moreover, Woodfibre LNG plans to ensure that the equivalent levels of excellence will be met if the second floatel is approved by entering into a contract with the same Canadian company, Bridgemans Services Group, which procured and retrofited the MV Isabelle X.

Vancouver-based Bridgemans is committed to ensuring that the second floatel aligns with the project’s net-zero mandate and meets a variety of key commitments that the project has made through the years-long consultative process, including the need to minimize environmental and community impacts.

Brian Grange, President of Bridgemans, remarked: “Bridgemans is proud to undertake the retrofit, delivery, and operation of a second floatel to the same high standards set by the MV Isabelle X. As a Vancouver-based Canadian company, it’s an honour to contribute to a project that strengthens Canada’s role in global energy. The MV Isabelle X showcases Canadian innovation and sets a new benchmark for workforce accommodation on the water.”

The Woodfibre LNG project, owned by Woodfibre LNG Limited Partnership, with 70% held by Pacific Energy Corporation and the remaining 30% by Enbridge, is described by the operator as the first industrial project in Canada to recognize a non-treaty Indigenous government, Squamish Nation, as a full environmental regulator.

This LNG project, which is anticipated to be the world’s first net-zero LNG facility when it gets completed in 2027, is expected to produce around 2.1 million tons of LNG per year during operations.