Provincial environmental assessment certificate approval brings VOPAK one step closer to terminal construction start at Ridley Island

A site diagram for the Ridley Island location for the proposed
VOPAK Pacific Canada terminal
(From VOPAK project website)

The Prince Rupert waterfront off of Ridley Island could soon have one more industrial partner in place with terminal operations, that after the Province of British Columbia issued approval for an environmental assessment certificate to VOPAK Development Canada for a proposed Bulk storage facility for liquefied natural gas products.

The facility to be operated by Vopak Pacific Canada will provide storage and shipment facilities for a range of products including, propane, ethane, butane, methanol, light diesel and/or gasoline from terminal complex on Ridley Island.

The project would include unloading platforms for bulk liquid gas transported to the facility on the existing rail loop on Ridley Island and docking berths on a new offshore jetty for exporting liquid gas. Liquid gas products would be transported to the facility from across Western Canada via existing Canadian National railway lines.

The facility is within the territories of the Gitga’at, Gitxaała, Kitselas, Kitsumkalum, Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams Nations. As part of the Environmental Assessment process, provincial officials examined potential impacts of the project on Indigenous rights and title, and consulted with Gitga’at, Gitxaała, Kitselas, Kitsumkalum, Metlakatla and Lax Kw’alaams during the environmental assessment. 

As a result of feedback from the technical working group, the public and First Nations, Vopak made substantive changes to the project design during the environmental assessment. This includes excluding dredging from the project design and changing vessel mooring to minimize disturbance of the sea floor to reduce potential harm to local fish and marine life.

Three legal binding conditions were put in place with the provincial approval those included:

Developing a greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan 

Working with the local community and First Nations to address potential adverse effects on community services, infrastructure and well-being 

Participating in initiatives at the request of the Province to manage potential cumulative effects of this and other projects in the area. 

Reporting at regular intervals its involvement with the Community Services and Infrastructure Committee, to address potential project effects related to economic conditions, community services and infrastructure and community well-being. The report must include consultation with First Nations and consider adaptive mitigations, if required.

Federal approval for the industrial terminal development is still required before the first shovels will hit the ground. 

Both the PRPA and Transport Canada are the relevant federal authorities in this process. 

The federal review, which is underway, assesses the significance of adverse environmental effects, including potential impacts to First Nations communities. 

Activity will soon be ramping up at the VOPAK Pacific Canada
offices on Third West, as the proposed bulk fuels terminal project
moves forward towards a start for construction  

Towards the construction phase ahead once federal approval is received and a final investment decision is made by the global supply giant, Vopak estimates that direct expenditures during construction would total $885 million over two years, with approximately 250 full-time equivalent jobs within B.C., 70 of them local to the site. 

Vopak estimates direct expenditures during operations of approximately $29 million per year within B.C., and the creation of approximately 39 direct jobs (30 local) annually within B.C. 

Training for the positions at the Prince Rupert facility will be through program to be developed through Coast Mountain College.

You can review more notes on the provincial EAO process here.

The timeline of the EAO process and all of its documentation is available here.

The project is somewhat behind on the original timeline for development, originally proposed for a late 2021 start, Vopak Pacific Canada has not as of yet updated their proposed timeline for the project construction and operations.

You can explore some of the background towards the terminal plans from the Vopak  Pacific Canada Project website page.

Further background on the terminal plans can be explored through our archive page.