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New Tilbury Phase 2 public comment period begins

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map depicting the potential Tilbury expansion
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For more than 50 years, Tilbury has been at the heart of the Lower Mainland’s energy system, storing liquefied natural gas (LNG) as energy for more than 700,000 homes and businesses. We’re developing Tilbury to continue playing a leading role in serving our customers in a lower-carbon energy future.

Following the recent regulatory approval of the Tilbury Phase 2 LNG Expansion detailed project description by the BC Environmental Assessment Office (BC EAO), the project has now entered the public comment phase of the environmental assessment process. This is a key approval process managed by the BC EAO to allow the project to move forward toward construction. A public engagement and comment period is now open until April 10, 2022. 

About the project

City of Vancouver from the air, looking north

The increased storage capacity from the Tilbury Phase 2 LNG Expansion will strengthen the resiliency of the Lower Mainland gas system, ensuring we have the energy our customers need during an unplanned event, such as a supply disruption, or emergency. The new larger tank would not only replace the tank that has been in service for more than 50 years, but also allow us to use newer technology to further strengthen system resiliency.

An additional purpose of the project is to meet the market need for LNG as a transportable and storable low-carbon intensity fuel with new liquefaction capacity to support our Clean Growth Pathway to 2050.

The Clean Growth Pathway was developed to support the province’s CleanBC plan and charts a path for FortisBC to help achieve the province’s climate action goal of an 80 per cent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction by 2050. In the future, the added liquefaction capacity provided by Tilbury Phase 2 will help customers lower their carbon footprint and support the transition from higher-carbon energy such as coal, marine oil or diesel to lower-carbon LNG from Tilbury. 

Lineup of traffic
Our initial estimate shows that if all the LNG produced through the Tilbury Phase 2 Expansion project’s increased liquefaction capacity displaced coal, the emissions reductions would be equivalent to removing 1.5 million cars off the road each year, or roughly all of the passenger vehicles in the Lower Mainland as of 2020.¹​​​​​

The Tilbury Phase 2 Expansion would be one of the largest capital projects in the Lower Mainland, adding $1.7 billion to the economy, $300 million in tax revenue to local government during construction and about $280 million in tax revenue during operation. The project would create more than 6,000 direct, full-time equivalent jobs during construction and 100 during operation, and would have a strong focus on Indigenous and local employment.

The Tilbury Phase 2 LNG Expansion could fuel a new generation of LNG-powered vessels to displace the use of marine fuel oil in the Vancouver region.

Dan Murray

project director, FortisBC

Refined project design

Woman lies on a couch with a coffee in her hand and a laptop on her lap, screen shows Tilbury LNG proposal
Virtual open houses were held during the early engagement phase in 2020.​​​

We completed early engagement, collecting input from Indigenous groups, stakeholders and the general public to produce a detailed project description that outlines the project and its potential impacts. The BC EAO evaluated the detailed project description and, in January 2022, determined there was enough information about the project to proceed to an environmental assessment. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada also accepted the detailed project description and agreed to delegate the authority for the environmental assessment to the BC EAO. 

Since launching the project in February 2020, FortisBC has refined the design to ensure the project is technically and economically feasible, while still meeting our goals of enhancing the resiliency of our gas system and offering customers LNG to reduce their GHG emissions. As a result of this work, we’ve reduced the proposed capacity of the project, as follows:

  • The proposed storage capacity has been reduced 12 per cent to 142,400 cubic metres.
  • The proposed liquefaction capacity has been reduced 28 per cent to 2.5 million tonnes per year.

The input we received during early engagement helped us refine our project design. We look forward to continuing to gather input from Indigenous communities and the public on the project.

Andrew Hamilton

senior project manager, FortisBC

Comment period and open house

A senior couple looks at a computer screen and reviews paper documents at a table
The BC EAO comment period includes opportunities for the public to post feedback online and attend virtual information sessions. ​​​​​​

After the public comment period closes, feedback on the draft Process Order and Regulatory Coordination Plan will be incorporated into the final versions.

For the latest project information, bookmark our project updates page and subscribe to our newsletter.

We’re committed to continuing engagement with the local community, including opportunities for dialogue throughout these regulatory processes.

Courtney Hodson

community relations manager, FortisBC

¹ Tilbury Phase 2 LNG Expansion project, detailed project description, pages 2–4