Arrival of large module represents next phase for LNG Canada project construction

A critical piece of infrastructure more than 10 storeys high has arrived at the LNG Canada project site in Kitimat, B.C., in the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation, marking another phase in construction activities at Canada’s first major liquified natural gas facility.

Measuring 35 metres in height and weighing 4,618 metric tonnes, the inlet facilities module will serve as the entry point for natural gas delivered to the LNG Canada site via the new Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline.

One of more than a dozen highly advanced process modules built for the LNG Canada facility, and the first to arrive in Kitimat, the new inlet facilities module will receive natural gas directly from the CGL pipeline and evenly distribute it at a constant flow to treatment facilities and processes, including liquification and storage, before it is loaded into specialized carriers for marine transport, explains LNG Canada Senior Construction Engineer Gerard Bowers.

It will then be delivered to markets that need low-carbon, made-in B.C. liquified natural gas to replace other energy sources such as coal.

But first things first: Over several days, Bowers says, the inlet facilities module will be carefully moved from LNG Canada’s new material offloading facility at the Port of Kitimat to its place at the main LNG processing site; this will require the help of large self-propelled modular transporters, which will slowly move the module along the project site’s purpose-built haul road that is three kilometres long and 30 metres wide.

The module will then be placed on a foundation specifically designed to accommodate its dimensions, joining several other large pieces of LNG infrastructure installed in recent months.

“Taking delivery of our inlet facilities module represents another key milestone for our project, which is now approaching 60 percent completion,” says LNG Canada CEO Peter Zebedee. “This is a very important year for us, with a pace of construction not seen previously. Thanks to thousands of highly skilled Canadians working at our site in Kitimat, we’re making excellent progress as we advance through construction and prepare for 40 years of safe operations. We remain committed to delivering our first cargo by the middle of this decade.”