A practical approach
The demos we hosted in Kelowna allowed us to talk about LNG in the most practical way we can—by showing people what it is and how it behaves in real time. We were excited to share our knowledge and members of our team addressed the questions of the attendees who live and work in the region.
Community and Indigenous relations manager at FortisBC Shelley Martens explains how important it is to connect with community members to understand their perspectives as we continue to move forward.
“The central goal of our project is to help make sure that people who live and work across the Okanagan have a safe and reliable supply of gas to meet their energy needs, especially in the winter,” Shelley says. “We want to make sure that people in the communities we serve know how we’re meeting that goal and how our project supports the energy needs of their community. That’s one of the reasons we host events like this.”
Sharing our knowledge
Informing the public is an essential part of our project. Connecting with community members by talking about LNG is a chance for us to connect with the people we serve in the most direct way we can. LNG technical operations manager at FortisBC Joshua Lacoursiere explains how sessions like this help to do that.
“Showing people the nature of LNG in real time is a great way to help them understand what it is, how it acts and how it’s different from other energy sources,” Joshua explains. “We design our demonstrations to be both practical and informative, highlighting LNG safety best practices. Our demo can help attendees understand LNG much better than before, of course. But sharing our expertise also helps strengthen trust and our connections to the community. That’s valuable to everyone.”
Some of the points1 the demo covered about LNG safety included:
- LNG is transported and stored as a liquid that’s kept at -162° C.
- LNG isn’t flammable or explosive when stored as a liquid because there’s no air to create a mixture to ignite it.
- LNG would warm up if it ever leaked, turning into a gas and dissipating without leaving a residue on land or water.
Being curious and sharing perspectives
Attendees come from a range of backgrounds and experiences. Their curiosity and willingness to engage is what’s common between them. Along with other reps from local governments in the region, Ryan Smith, divisional director, planning and development services at the City of Kelowna attended the LNG demo and reflects on the importance of sharing expertise and learning together as our project continues.
“Events like this are so important,” Ryan says. “Sharing knowledge directly with the community and answering our questions helps create a spirit of openness. Along with learning a lot of interesting facts about LNG, the demo was a way to remind everyone that we’re all invested in making sure our communities have the energy we need throughout the year, knowing that the source of that energy is safe and reliable.”
Project next steps
We’re making progress with our Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project to see to those goals. Site preparation and civil construction in Kelowna is set to begin this summer. This phase includes making sure grading the site is done and all the foundations are in place before the tanks and other major equipment arrive. We’ve scheduled construction to continue into this coming fall, complete with a temporary mobile fleet installation.
In the new year, we’ll begin mechanical and electrical work, making sure all systems are ready for active operations with the goal of commissioning the facility by the end of next summer. As our project continues, we’ll advise the community on our progress, notifying them about any potential disruptions to traffic. We’ll make information available on our project update page, but also through our OCMP newsletter.
A better understanding
Our LNG demonstration sessions helped a wide range of attendees who live and work in the Okanagan to better understand the nature of LNG. Engaging with the community is an important part of creating a spirit of openness as our Okanagan Mitigation Capacity Project continues. It reminds us that we all have a stake in addressing the growing demand for natural gas in the region, especially on the coldest days of the year.
To learn more about the Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project and to keep updated on our progress, visit our project page.
