Canadian province of British Columbia said the 62 signed pipeline benefits agreements with 29 out of 32 eligible First Nations confirms the growing support for the LNG industry.
All the First Nations that have inked the benefits agreements are located along four proposed natural gas pipeline projects: Pacific Trail Pipeline, Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project, Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project, and the Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission Project.
As the province said in its statement, the benefits agreements are a part of the plan to partner with First Nations on LNG opportunities.
The proposed Pacific Trail Pipeline is a 480-kilometre natural-gas pipeline to deliver gas from Summit Lake to the Kitimat LNG facility site at Bish Cove on the northwest coast.
The 16 nations along the pipeline route, joined in a First Nations Limited Partnership, will receive an estimated $32 million in direct benefits during the construction phases of the project, as well as a further $10 million in annual payments to the partnership during the operational life of the project, according to the statement.
Out of 20 First Nations along the route of the proposed 670-kilometre Coastal GasLink Pipeline that will provide gas for the LNG Canada facility near Kitimat, 17 have signed the benefits agreements.
The Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project, a proposed 900-kilometre natural-gas pipeline to deliver natural gas from the Hudson’s Hope area to the proposed Pacific NorthWest LNG facility near Prince Rupert, received the backing of 16 out of 19 First Nations.
The 850-kilometre Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission project, proposed to transport natural gas from northeast B.C. to BG Canada’s proposed LNG export facility on Ridley Island, near Prince Rupert, signed 14 benefits agreements out of eligible 19, however, so far only three First Nations have brought their agreements into effect, the statement said.