Proponents seeking to establish a liquified natural gas plant near Summit Lake will have to show how it will achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 if they hope to win the provincial government's stamp of approval.
JX LNG Canada Ltd. is seeking go-ahead from B.C. Environmental Assessment Office and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada to build at a site known as the Hart Industrial about 11 kilometres south of the community and about 30 kilometres north of Prince George.
According to a letter dated July 22 and posted on the BCEAO website, the stipulation is a result of the province's "net-zero new industry policy" and affects new industrial facilities with anticipated annual emissions exceeding 10,000 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent.
Most proposals face a 2050 deadline, but liquefied natural gas facilities, including JX LNG Canada's proposal, must meet a tighter 2030 deadline. JX LNG Canada must also demonstrate how the facility "will be in line with the emission intensity of world-leading facilities in the same class, taking into consideration any advances in technology that have occurred since the world-leading facility was constructed, or explain why it would not be practicable to do so."
The letter comes from the BCEAO's chief executive assessment officer and was sent to JX LNG Canada's chief operating officer.
According to an initial project description, the plant, known as the Summit Lake PG LNG Project, would occupy about 250 hectares and produce up to 2.7 million tonnes per year of the product and have it shipped by rail to Prince Rupert in special ISO containers for export to Asia.
It would rely on the nearby Enbridge Westcoast Pipeline for feedstock via a two-kilometre pipeline that would be constructed as part of the project. A six-kilometre power line would also be put in place to connect to BC Hydro's Salmon Valley substation.
JX LNG Canada, is an Alberta-based subsidiary of Changchun Jixing New Energy Ltd., which is involved in the LNG and compressed natural gas sector in northeastern China.
The proposal remains in the early engagement phase.
