Bear with it
Proposed Richmond County LNG project passes major regulatory hurdle
A proposed liquefied natural gas project for Bear Head has passed its final major regulatory hurdle and the focus for its proponent is now firmly on locating a gas supply.
Paul MacLean, strategic and regulatory affairs adviser with Bear Head LNG, said in an interview last week that they have been working through what’s called the Termpol process for about two years. It’s a technical review of the project’s marine terminal systems, as well as a review of the proposed shipping route for the marine terminal.
“There’s been considerable time and effort devoted to working our way through the Termpol process,” MacLean said. “It’s a very significant piece that’s been concluded. … It also reflects the safe operation of the marine facility so it addresses safety, navigation and a number of components.” While from the federal perspective the process is voluntary, it was a condition of the Bear Head project’s approval by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment.
“We had to undertake extensive marine simulations for the terminal, which we did at the marine institute in Rhode Island a couple of years ago, and involved representatives of Transport Canada and the Atlantic Pilotage Authority in Nova Scotia and Bear Head LNG, and then we had drafted a fairly comprehensive report,” MacLean said. “From that report, Transport Canada came back with recommendations for the marine aspects for the terminal.”
With the Termpol approval, MacLean said all of the major permits have now been secured for both for the Bear Head LNG facility as well as for the Bear Paw Pipeline, the sister company to the terminal operation. That allows the proponents to now focus its attention on the potential gas supply.
“The discussions that we’re having with western basin natural gas producers, they’re going extremely well,” MacLean said, adding he can’t say when those talks may be concluded.
Bear Head LNG is owned by Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. The proposed terminal will involve the initial development of an eight-million-tonne-per-year facility, with the capacity and approvals for expansion.
The National Energy Board and the U.S. Department of Energy have granted export licences for the facility. LNG produced at the facility will be transported by LNG vessels to overseas markets.
Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. also owns Bear Paw Pipeline Corporation Inc., which is proposing to construct and operate a 62.5-km gas pipeline lateral to connect gas supply to Bear Head LNG.