Photo from the Energie Saguenay Facebook page

By Curtis Galbraith

Energy Business

Quebec LNG plant proposal has backing from Peace Country politicians

Dec 23, 2019 | 4:30 AM

Proponents of a $7-billion idea to build an LNG plant in Saguenay, Quebec, one that would process natural gas from Western Canada, are getting some backing from politicians in the Peace Region.

Dawson Creek Mayor Dale Bumstead and Grande Prairie Mayor Bill Given have written letters in support of the proposal called Energie Saguenay.

Bumstead says the plant would process 1.5-billion cubic feet of gas a day.

“Anytime we open up the international market for supplying natural gas, that helps Western Canada, and particularly Northwestern Alberta and Northeastern British Columbia.”

“So, for me, opening up another one to two billion cubic feet of gas a day is very positive for the economic fortunes of our communities and our regions, both in the Alberta and British Columbia Peace Regions.”

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There would also be a new 780-kilometre pipeline built that would go across Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec from a connection to an existing network. The plant would run on hydroelectricity that is already available in the Saguenay area.

The hope is to have it operational by 2025.

There is already opposition lining up in Quebec, plus Premier Francois Legault is on record as saying his province “doesn’t want Alberta’s dirty energy.”

Bumstead says the Mayor of Saguenay, plus a lot of people there, want this project to go ahead.

“To me, the message and what we are trying to demonstrate here is that we do the development of the natural gas industry better than anybody else in North America and if they’re going to source the gas, they should be sourcing it from Northern Alberta and Northeastern British Columbia.”

He adds many other Peace Region municipalities are also backing this project.

“We got the Northeast (B.C.) Mayors and the Chambers of Commerce (onboard). I knew that Mayor Given, because I was involved in a group with him not very long ago in regards to some work they were doing in regards to Bill C-69. So, I knew there was an organization that Bill was very involved in over there.”

The hope is new plant would supply liquefied natural gas to international markets as a replacement for things like coal and fuel oil.