Siemens Energy to power Woodfibre LNG project

Siemens Energy has been selected as the single solution supplier for Canada’s Woodfibre LNG project powered by clean, renewable hydroelectric power.

Powered by renewable hydroelectricity, Woodfibre LNG claims it will be the lowest-emission LNG export facility in the world. It plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 per cent. The facility takes place near Squamish, in British Columbia, Canada.

Siemens Energy’s scope includes all equipment associated with the main refrigeration trains including compressors, synchronous motors, variable speed drives, converter transformers, harmonic filters, and numerous powerhouses. The main refrigeration compressor trains are one of the components of the liquefaction process that produces the LNG that will eventually be stored in tanks and then transported to LNG tankers for shipping abroad.

The LNG facility will be located at the site of a former pulp and paper operation. It will be sized for 2.1 million tonnes per annum. The plant will also support global decarbonisation with exports to Asian economies that are currently driven by coal.

Rich Voorberg, president of Siemens Energy for North America, said: “When it comes to the energy transition, we know that natural gas will be part of the answer. We are proud of our ability to bring end-to-end solutions to (…) clean energy projects like this one and view the Woodfibre LNG plant as playing an instrumental role in the energy transition here in North America.”

“Woodfibre LNG is working to incorporate a sustainable approach into as many aspects of our project’s engineering and design as possible,” said company president Christine Kennedy. “This includes using safe, efficient equipment for the LNG refrigeration process – like that which Siemens Energy will supply – to build what will become the world’s lowest-emission LNG export facility.”

In April, the project issued a notice to proceed to its construction contractor U.S. offshore engineering firm McDermott. This gave McDermott the green light to start the work in order to move the project toward major construction start in 2023.

Woodfibre LNG expects to reach substantial completion in 2027. It is to start commercial operation by September of that year.

Woodfibre LNG is a Canadian subsidiary of Pacific Energy based in Singapore.