TC Energy-led Coastal GasLink said it has achieved another construction milestone on the giant pipeline that will supply natural gas to the Shell-led LNG Canada project.
Coastal GasLink is building a 667-kilometer-long pipeline worth about C$6.6 billion.
The pipeline will move at least 2.1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas with the potential for delivery of up to 5 bcf/d from the Dawson Creek area to the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.
“Largest trenchless water crossing”
Coastal GasLink said in a project update it had completed the “largest trenchless water crossing of the project with zero safety incidents.”
The 1.3-kilometer section of 48-inch pipe weighs over 1.2 million pounds and is the largest of its kind for TC Energy and one of the longest in North America, according to Coastal GasLink.
“Such an engineering feat was pulled off thanks to the hundreds of dedicated people working on the project, and the use of the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) method, an advanced trenchless water crossing technique employed by Coastal GasLink and its contractors,” it said.
The Murray River crossing marks the fourth successful trenchless water crossing for the project, with several more underway this year.
Cost and schedule
Overall, the project is approaching 50 percent project completion but the Covid-19 pandemic project has affected the project. Coastal GasLink and LNG Canada are in commercial discussions regarding the cost and schedule for the project.
Coastal GasLink announced a positive final investment decision to build the pipeline following a go-ahead from its partner, LNG Canada, on October 2, 2018.
Besides Shell, LNG Canada partners include Malaysia’s Petronas, PetroChina, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation and Kogas of South Korea.
The joint venture of JGC-Fluor Corporation is the project’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor.
LNG Canada will initially build two trains with a capacity to produce 14 million tonnes of LNG per year.
The project, worth more than $30 billion, is one of the largest megaprojects in Canadian history.