Shell’s LNG Canada to introduce gas to Kitimat terminal

LNG Canada revealed this in a statement on Thursday.

“Once natural gas is received from the Coastal GasLink pipeline and all safety checks are satisfied, a small flare pilot will be activated at our vapor flare tower, followed by low-level flaring that will occur over several weeks prior to more visible flaring,” the JV said.

“The introduction of natural gas and flaring activities mark a pivotal step in LNG Canada’s safe start-up program as we prepare to ship our first cargoes of made-in-B.C. LNG by the middle of 2025,” it said.

Prior to this, LNG Canada said it will receive a cargo of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as part of its start-up activities.

The refrigerants will be used to cool natural gas delivered to LNG Canada via the Coastal GasLink pipeline, it said.

First large LNG export terminal in Canada

Earlier this month, Shell’s CEO Wael Sawan said during the company’s second quarter results call that Shell is “working hard” to achieve first production from the project by middle of the next year.

In February this year, he said that the LNG Canada terminal is more than 90 percent complete and the project is preparing to launch commissioning activities later this year.

LNG Canada announced in the December update that it expects commissioning activities to last more than a year.

This is the first large LNG export terminal in Canada.

Contractor JGC Fluor is constructing the first phase of the giant LNG Canada project that includes two liquefaction trains with a capacity of 14 mtpa in Kitimat, British Columbia.

Last year, TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline, which will supply natural gas to the LNG Canada terminal, was mechanically completed.

Besides operator Shell, other partners in the project include Malaysia’s Petronas, PetroChina, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation, and South Korea’s Kogas.

The partners are also planning to build the second phase of the giant LNG project.