Tilbury Phase 1 LNG Expansion project

Snuneymuxw First Nation and FortisBC Holdings Inc. announced the signing of an agreement which will result in the parties working in close collaboration on and sharing benefits associated with the Tilbury LNG Projects. This agreement is a direct result of the long-standing relationship both parties have fostered over many years. This agreement is yet another example of how FortisBC is committed to working closely and building strong relationships with First Nations to ensure benefits from our projects extend into communities.

Musqueam Indian Band and FortisBC Holdings Inc. are pleased to announce the Tilbury Projects Agreement, which includes options for Musqueam to acquire equity ownership in the proposed projects subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions . This includes the Tilbury LNG Storage Expansion Project and the Tilbury Marine Jetty Project. The equity options recognize the important relationship between FortisBC and Musqueam, and our shared desire to be true partners.

FortisBC has applied to Metro Vancouver to extend the existing air quality permit for the Tilbury LNG expansion facility, also known as Tilbury 1A.

LNG has been produced at Tilbury since 1971. The Tilbury LNG expansion facility has been operating safely since 2019 and FortisBC is applying to extend the facility’s current air quality permit, which is set to expire in 2022. As part of the application, the company is proposing to decrease the levels of air emissions in its existing permit. The application does not cover any future expansion plans at the site.

The Tilbury LNG expansion facility is a key piece of FortisBC’s gas system and produces liquefied natural gas (LNG) for use as a backup source of energy for our gas customers. It also produces LNG for customers in the trucking and marine transportation industries that are switching from higher carbon fuels like diesel.  

The Tilbury LNG expansion facility features technology to reduce emissions and is powered by BC’s renewable hydroelectric supply. As a result, it is one of the cleanest facilities in the world and can produce LNG with a carbon intensity that is about 30 per cent lower than a global average LNG facility. 

To learn more about the facility and about the permitting process please join us at our upcoming virtual open house. For more information on the permit application please visit metrovancouver.org.

Metro Vancouver Regional District has approved FortisBC’s application to amend its existing air quality permit for the Tilbury LNG expansion facility. The amendment will allow the facility to continue operations as designed to produce LNG with some of the lowest carbon intensity in the world for our customers.

FortisBC announced today that it is proceeding with a new project at its Tilbury Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility in Delta, British Columbia. The Tilbury Truck Loading Expansion project will involve the construction of two new loading bays to double the facility’s capacity to provide customers with LNG.

FortisBC has applied to the Metro Vancouver Regional District to amend its existing air quality permit for the Tilbury LNG expansion facility. The amendment would allow the facility to operate as it was designed by removing impurities such as sulphur compounds during production. The removal of impurities enables our facility to produce LNG with some of the lowest carbon intensity in the world.

The permitting process is now entering the 30-day public notification period during which the public can provide comments on the amendment to [email protected]. For more information, please visit metrovancouver.org.

FortisBC has entered into its first term supply agreement to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Top Speed Energy Corp. to export to China. This term supply agreement is an unprecedented development in Canada’s LNG export industry and was made possible by the completion of the Tilbury LNG expansion project earlier this year.

The two-year agreement will see 53,000 tonnes of LNG a year or about 60 ISO containers (standard-sized shipping containers) a week shipped from Tilbury to China by the summer of 2021. The volume of LNG to be exported is equivalent to the volume necessary to heat more than 30,000 average BC households for a year.

Starting as early as Saturday, June 1 our original Tilbury LNG facility will undergo some planned maintenance. 

To complete this work safely, we’ll temporarily shut down a boil-off gas compressor, a piece of equipment used to regulate pressure within the LNG storage tank, for the duration of the maintenance schedule. 

We do not anticipate any off-site odour or noise as a result of this maintenance. 

For more information about our work at the facility, please call our project line: 855-576-7133.

The first phase of our Tilbury LNG Expansion Project is now in service and producing LNG for our customers. As part of the expansion, we’ve added a new storage tank and additional LNG production equipment to meet the growing demand for LNG within the transportation sector and industry in BC. The Tilbury expansion is also supplying export shipments to China to help small-scale industrial customers switch to cleaner burning LNG from coal. Tilbury will also continue to store LNG, as it has since 1971, to ensure our BC. customers have the energy they need during the winter when they are using more gas to heat their homes.

WesPac Midstream-Vancouver LLC’s proposal to build the Tilbury Pacific LNG jetty on the Fraser River in Delta, BC. next to our Tilbury LNG storage facility, reached a new milestone today with the filing of an application for an environmental assessment certificate with the  Environmental Assessment Office of BC.

Tilbury Pacific would become a vital link in the West Coast LNG supply chain delivering low-emission fuel to a new generation of coastal and ocean-going shipping. It would also have the capability to supply bulk shipments of BC-produced LNG to customers across the Pacific.

The project is in the Application Review phase, which provides a forum for Indigenous communities, regulatory agencies, stakeholders and the general public to review and comment on the project. Visit tilburypacific.ca to stay informed about upcoming public information sessions.

Early Thursday morning, after a journey of more than 9,000 kilometres, the first shipment of liquefied natural gas from Canada arrived in China.

A single ISO container of gas left FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG storage facility in mid-November. Days later, it set sail through Burrard Inlet on its journey to its final destination in China on December 14. Although the shipment is small at about 17 tonnes or 950 gigajoules of gas, it’s a turning point for BC’s LNG industry. View the full blog story.

Canada’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export industry recently reached a milestone with the departure of its first shipment to China in a pilot project to determine long-term feasibility. LNG was supplied by FortisBC’s Tilbury facility in Delta, logistics and equipment were provided by True North Energy Corporation and CIMC ENRIC Holdings Limited, and the cargo was shipped from Vancouver. Read the full news release.

At 10:25 a.m. on Saturday, August 19, FortisBC was notified of an incident at the site of our Tilbury plant expansion in Delta. The plant is currently undergoing commissioning. FortisBC responded, along with local fire and police departments.

Contractors conducting the commissioning reported a brief ignition from a refrigerant line, which was extinguished shortly thereafter. Fire detection and suppression equipment on site was activated and functioned as designed, containing the incident. Emergency response procedures were also activated and worked as planned.

One member of the contractor team on site was treated for injuries and released.

Safety is a priority for FortisBC. It’s important to remember that this incident was limited to the refrigerant portion of the plant and did not pose a danger to anyone outside the plant. FortisBC looks forward to conducting this investigation with its contractor to ensure we understand the cause.

Existing operations at the original Tilbury plant, which has been in operation since 1971, were not impacted.

As it approaches completion, the Tilbury LNG expansion project has provided a wide range of direct economic and employment benefits for the people of Delta and neighbouring communities. View an update on how the project is creating jobs and economic opportunities for BC.

The Tilbury LNG expansion project is about 85 per cent complete with the target to be operating by the summer.

Read the full article in the Delta Optimist.

FortisBC carries out a hydrostatic test of the new LNG storage tank, which involves filling the tank to 70% capacity with water, a heavier and denser substance than LNG. The tank is then inspected for integrity and settlement. This test is conducted to meet requirements of the construction quality assurance program for the project.

The test water, sourced from the Corporation of Delta’s potable water system, is drained into temporary onsite holding tanks before a gradual release into the sanitary sewer system.

The upgrade includes reinforcement of BC Hydro's transmission line and the addition of a 13.8kV step-down transformer substation to our site. These provide the power we require for the electric drive of the refrigeration compressor, other auxiliary electrical equipment and lighting of the facility.

The Tilbury expansion project will result in more than $60 million in committed local spending and significant employment benefits across the region. Read the news release.

LNG is made by a refrigeration system made up of an electric driven compressor and air coolers that circulate refrigerant into a heat exchanger, to remove heat from the natural gas steam. The cold box containing the heat exchanger, filled with insulation, is where natural gas is chilled to its liquid form.

Upon completion of the concrete/metal outer shell wall, the metal roof of the outer shell was raised by air pressure.

Work begins on the processing area structures and laying out the foundations of the processing area, followed by equipment deliveries and pipe racks installation. The processing area is where equipment and interconnecting piping for final cleaning and refrigeration of natural gas are installed.

Pre-construction preparation work takes place for the LNG processing area, which includes placing approximately 3500 stone columns under the LNG processing facility.

Following the official start of construction, contractors are mobilized onsite and begin to set up construction offices and trailers, and to begin installation of the LNG tank foundation.

FortisBC marks the official start of construction with a ground-breaking ceremony.

Bechtel is selected as contractor following a competitive procurement process, bringing global experience in the development of LNG facilities to the project. Read the news release.

From January to June, pre-construction preparation work takes place for the tank foundation, which includes placing approximately 900 stone columns under the LNG tank.

The planned expansion of FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG facility is exempt from a certificate of public convenience and necessity review by the British Columbia Utilities Commission.