Prime Minister
wants to speed construction of a major expansion of
, a large-scale
export project on Canada’s west coast.
and its Asia-based partners are considering whether to go ahead with a doubling of LNG Canada’s capacity. The prime minister plans to smooth the path by including it on a list of major infrastructure projects eligible for fast-track acceptance, according to people familiar with the matter.
The list, which Carney has referred to as a “first tranche” and will be unveiled Thursday, includes projects the government sees as nationally significant and wants to expedite. It’s part of an effort to respond to U.S.
by stimulating construction activity, boosting Canada’s economy and increasing exports to non-U.S. trade partners.
The LNG Canada expansion already has federal approval, but Shell and its partners — Petronas, PetroChina Co., Mitsubishi Corp. and Korea Gas Corp. — have not yet made a final investment decision.
The facility’s first phase, which received an investment decision in 2018, finally began shipping gas a little more than two months ago. The LNG Canada consortium holds a 40-year export licence that allows it to initially export as much as 14 million metric tons of LNG per year. Phase two would increase capacity to 28 million metric tons.
But there are lingering questions over how the expanded facility would be powered and whether it fits within carbon emission limits set out by the governments of Canada and British Columbia.
The other projects Carney is expected to announce on Thursday are also in more advanced stages, and were chosen because they can likely begin construction very soon, according to the people who spoke to Bloomberg News on condition they not be identified.
Carney will likely also outline infrastructure plans that need more time in development before they can be put through the government’s new “major projects office.” In August, the government named Dawn Farrell, the former CEO of Canadian power producer TransAlta Corp., as head of that office.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. earlier reported on a draft list of the projects.