As one of our customers, you expect your stove to work and your furnace to fire up when you need it. That means we need to make sure you – and our one million-plus customers across BC – always have the natural gas service you need. To us, that’s resiliency. To you, that’s reliability.
Our proposed Tilbury LNG Storage Expansion project would strengthen the resiliency of our gas system with the construction of:
- a new tank approximately 2.5 times bigger than Tilbury’s current storage capacity
- new equipment to increase our capacity to flow gas from Tilbury back into our gas system
LNG is natural gas that has been cooled to -162C, becoming a clear, non-toxic and non-flammable liquid. Produced using the same natural gas that’s used in your home every day, LNG is stored safely in steel containers that can be accessed when it’s most needed.
We use LNG to supplement the gas supply when you need it most – on days of high demand like when the temperature drops. When natural gas is cooled and liquefied, it reduces in volume by 600 times, allowing us to store significant amounts of LNG. We can convert LNG back to natural gas when we need it, allowing us to be ready for whatever comes our way and ensure you have the service you need, when you need it. This way we are ready and able to deliver when circumstances change.
Building today for tomorrow
Tilbury has been producing LNG safely since the facility was built 50 years ago. As we help our customers move toward a lower-carbon future, we have applied to our regulator, the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC), for approval of the Tilbury LNG Storage Expansion project. This project would involve decommissioning and removing equipment at the original facility, while also expanding our capacity and upgrading to equipment that meets today’s design standards. Overall, the Tilbury LNG Storage Expansion project would allow us to increase our storage capacity to help ensure we can continue to provide energy to our customers in the event of a gas supply shortage while also providing a lower carbon fuel option for the shipping industry.
We will be participating in open houses where our customers and the community can learn more about the project and ask us questions. If approved, construction could start as early as 2023 and be completed by 2026. Get involved or learn more about the BCUC process.
Creating a greener future
LNG also plays a vital role in building a greener future for BC. In 2019, we announced our bold new target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Our 30BY30 target aims at reducing our customers’ emissions by 30 per cent by the year 2030. In pursuit of this goal, we are looking at ways LNG from Tilbury can be used to help switch ships away from petroleum-based transportation fuels to LNG, reducing GHG emissions by up to 27 per cent. The Tilbury LNG Storage Expansion would enhance the resilience of our provincial energy systems, ensuring British Columbians receive our increasingly lower-carbon energy when they need it the most.
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