Canada Ships Symbolic Cargo to China
A small LNG peaking plant in Canada says it has shipped the country’s first ever LNG cargo to China, but it’s more a symbolic than a significant move.
The cargo was shipped from Vancouver, FortisBC said November 22, without disclosing the "small" cargo’s volume in its statement.
Vancouver newspaper Financial Post however reported that the cargo was an ISO container holding only 950 gigajoules (equivalent to 90,000 ft3, or 25,000 m3 of natural gas).
FortisBC has been liquefying natural gas at Tilbury in the western Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) since 1971 to supplement gas supplies during the coldest winter days. Recently, it has expanded its provision to remote communities, and as a fuel to heavy-duty road trucks, and for marine bunkering. “This pilot is a small, but significant step for BC’s LNG export industry,” said Douglas Stout, FortisBC’s market development vice-president: “At FortisBC, we are working toward changing the LNG landscape with the first of what could be many shipments from our province.”
“Our government is pleased to see this pilot project launch its first shipment of LNG to China,” said BC’s energy, mines and petroleum minister Michelle Mungall.
Large BC-based shale gas liquefaction projects that have recently been cancelled or “shelved” include the previously BG-led Prince Rupert LNG , and the Petronas-led Pacific NorthWest LNG. Meanwhile Sabine Pass has shipped several full-size US LNG cargoes to the Chinese market, and its neighbours, and other US Gulf coast projects are looking to launch in the next months and years and do likewise.