Thursday, March 2, 2023

New benchmark reached for proposed Ridley Island Export Logistics Project

The proposed Ridley Island Export Logistics Facility is one step closer
to development following a Federal announcement in late February

The Prince Rupert Port Authority has taken one more step forward towards plans for development of the Ridley Island Export Logistics Facility.

That comes with word today that Federal Authorities have determined, in accordance with the requirements of Section 82 of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), that the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. 

The announcement notes that the Federal determination concludes the Federal environmental review process, which is a prerequisite for the Federal Authorities to consider the required authorizations for the project to proceed.


Once they have all the required permits in place early work is planned to begin in early March, with tree clearing and site preparation activities. 

PRPA continues to work toward making a Final Investment Decision on the project with its commercial partners, expected later this year. 

You can review the Federal Determination advisory here.

As part of their announcement today, the Prince Rupert Port Authority outlined the scope of the project and how it will improve on efficiencies through partner terminals.

Planned for the southern end of Ridley Island, the export logistics complex will be an integrated ecosystem of large-scale bulk and breakbulk transload facilities, intermodal rail yard, and a container storage yard. 

The development will create an innovative and competitive transloading facility for commodities such as plastic pellets, cereal grains, speciality agriculture crops, lumber, and pulp to be loaded directly from rail into containers for export, creating 400,000 TEUs of export capacity in the first phase. 

The new export logistics facility will increase efficiencies in export supply chains, maximizing value to Canadian exporters while supporting the substantial growth of the intermodal business at the Port of Prince Rupert.


Where the proposed Export Logistics Terminal would be
constructed if final approval comes
(images from PRPA)



Part of their focus on diversification, the Logistics Project would become a key element to the local supply chain that starts with the DP World Fairview Container Terminal, it would use the recently opened Connector road for seamless transit between the two sites.

The Ridley Island Export Logistics Project is a vital component of the Port of Prince Rupert’s development plan for fully integrating intermodal activities between terminal, logistics and rail. 

The environmental benefits of the export logistics project include the densification of transload activities into a single location on Ridley Island to minimize land impacts, and proximity to Fairview Container Terminal via the dedicated Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor to minimize container truck movements and emissions, while maximizing rail usage on common infrastructure.

If it gains final approval, the last estimated date for completion was to be in 2025.


The full announcement from the PRPA is available for review here.

Our past notes on the project can be explored here.


4 comments:

  1. Any word on the number of jobs this project would create once operational? Or any suggestion of how much they may / may not pay in property taxes?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tax policy is tax policy. It is time for the city and especially residents to move on and focus on things they can control. Instead of waiting and hoping for a policy change, because that isn't a strategy.

    The PPTA cap isn't the worst tax policy out there. Look at the concessions made by the BC government for LNG that provincial tax payers are paying for.

    Discounted electricity prices - $32 million to $59 million per year
    Exemptions from increases in the BC carbon tax - $62 million per year.
    A corporate income tax break - A natural gas credit against corporate income tax has been created with the intent of lowering tax from the regular rate of 12 per cent to 9 per cent.
    Deferral of provincial sales tax on construction - $17–21 million

    On top of all of that, the Federal government let $1 Billion in revenue go out the door when they didn't apply duties and taxes to the
    imported modules for the LNG plant from.

    https://policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/BC%20Office/2019/05/CCPA_BC%20Critiquing%20the%20LNG%20Canada%20agreement_FINAL_190506.pdf

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a terribly defeatist attitude sir.

      People can control who their elected representatives are. And They voted unanimously for candidates who want to change the tax cap.

      You sound an awful lot like the port executive who claimed that the tax cap is “not a challenge”.

      Actually you’re almost worse with such a weak argument that “hey, the Port tax cap is not the actual worst , here’s an even more generous piece of corporate welfare to make you feel slightly less bad about the topic in question”

      Delete
    2. Two acts of assumicide right there.
      I am not a sir and do not work for the port authority.

      Keep hoping and waiting. One day our city will be free right?


      Delete