Woodfibre LNG commits to net zero by 2027

Canadian Woodfibre LNG, a project being developed by Pacific Energy and Enbridge, has revealed its plan to achieve net-zero emissions by the time operations start in 2027, or 23 years ahead of government regulation.

The target was set in Woodfibre LNG’s Roadmap to Net Zero which was announced on 23 March.

The roadmap is expected to see Woodfibre LNG become the first LNG export facility in the world to achieve net zero. It includes commitments to be net zero both through the construction stage of the project and during operations.

According to Woodfibre, this fast-tracked timeline exceeds the federal requirement to be net zero by 2050, while providing benefits to local First Nations, British Columbians, and Canadians.

The project’s net-zero roadmap follows the B.C. Government’s announcement of a new Energy Action Framework, requiring proposed LNG facilities in or entering the environmental assessment process to develop and submit a credible plan to be net zero by 2030.

“Woodfibre LNG’s roadmap prioritizes emissions avoidance and reduction opportunities, and we are proud to have a credible strategy in place that will make us the world’s first net-zero facility”, said Christine Kennedy, President of Woodfibre LNG. “Alongside the leadership and vision set out by the Province’s new Energy Action Framework, achieving net zero allows Woodfibre LNG to advance the global energy transition, furthering economic reconciliation and contributing to British Columbia’s standard of living.”

Woodfibre LNG said it is able to achieve net zero in part because of early-stage decisions aligned with the Indigenous-led environmental assessment process conducted by the Squamish Nation, which resulted in the Nation’s own environmental assessment agreement related to the project in 2015. Among these was the commitment for electric compressors using renewable hydroelectricity from BC Hydro, resulting in 14 times fewer emissions than a conventional LNG facility.

The project was designed to be among the lowest carbon-intensive LNG export facilities in the world, with an annual emissions profile of 83,374 tonnes of CO2e annually, and a carbon intensity of 0.04 (tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent [CO2e] per tonne of LNG), which is well below the Provincial benchmark of 0.16.

The net-zero roadmap commits to implementing certain GHG-reducing technologies and outlines incremental opportunities to reduce emissions further as technologies develop and become more affordable.

As part of it, Woodfibre LNG will also offset emissions during the construction phase of the project. Woodfibre LNG noted it has secured carbon credits from Cheakamus Community Forest, which is a nature-based carbon offset project in Whistler, where the Squamish Nation, Lil’Wat Nation and Resort Municipality of Whistler are partners.

In addition, Woodfibre LNG has procured carbon credits from BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative for hard-to-abate emissions during operations. BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative is a nature-based, forest preservation project located in coastal British Columbia that has partnerships with over 25 First Nations.

“Woodfibre LNG’s announcement comes at a time when global trading partners, such as Japan, are calling on the Government of Canada to provide a reliable, sustainable source of LNG to support global energy demands. The Woodfibre LNG Project has a critical role to play in demonstrating that British Columbia and its diversified portfolio of energy offerings can contribute to a low carbon future, both at home and abroad”, said Ratnesh Bedi, President of Pacific Energy.

The Woodfibre LNG project is a 2.1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) LNG export facility with 250,000 cubic metres of floating storage capacity.

The project is being built near Squamish, British Columbia. It is underpinned by two long-term offtake agreements with BP Gas Marketing for 15 years representing 70% of the capacity, with additional commitments in development for up to 90%.

Construction of Woodfibre LNG will be undertaken through an engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction (EPFC) contract with McDermott International.