Waters off British Columbia’s Vancouver Island are going to have a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility after a deal was worked out between prospective developer Steelhead LNG and the Malahat First Nation.
Steelhead is a Vancouver-based energy company focused on LNG project development. Malahat First Nation are an indigenous Canadian group based on southeastern Vancouver Island.
The FLNG will be located on the shoreline of Malahat Nation-owned land, formerly known as Bamberton.
Under the deal, announced on Thursday, Steelhead would have a long-term lease to build and operate the facility and the Nation would reap a substantial share of the revenues for the estimated 30 years lifespan of the project.
The partners say the facility could handle up to 6 million tonnes of LNG a year and create around 200 full-time jobs.
LNG is a form of fuel that offers several attractions: it compresses the gas in liquid form, meaning much more can be transported in bulk; it’s cleaner than other fossil fuels; and it is reasonably priced.
The floating plant would be moored to the shoreline of the Malahat First Nation-owned land. Steelhead will build and operate it.
Although this deal is done there will still need to be public consultations and approvals from regulatory bodies.
