With the arrival of two massive modules, Woodfibre Management, a privately held Canadian company based in Vancouver, has made further progress in the construction of its operated $5.1 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project under development in British Columbia, Canada.
Woodfibre LNG in Squamish has welcomed two major modules, pretreatment and process utility, to the site, which came aboard a specialized heavy lift vessel, Seaway Swan , marking deliveries 13 and 14 and bringing construction to nearly 60% complete for a project that aims to make the world’s first net-zero LNG facility a reality.
Following inspections, the sea welds attaching the modules to the deck of the ship were cut. The modules are being prepared to be unloaded and moved into position using self-propelled modular transporters. However, five more modules are due to arrive over the next few months.
Luke Schauerte , CEO of Woodfibre LNG, commented: “These modules are critical building blocks of Woodfibre LNG; both serving critical functions within the operations of our future facility. It’s tremendously exciting to move another step closer to construction completion and bringing more Canadian LNG to global markets.”
The developer explains that the pretreatment module removes impurities from natural gas feedstock, such as moisture or trace gases, enabling the gas to meet strict specifications for liquefaction.
“This is important as other substances, such as water, will freeze solid at lower temperatures than the -162 Celsius required to create LNG, causing the potential for process disruption or equipment damage,” highlighted Woodfibre LNG.
The pretreatment module is perceived to be among the largest modules for the facility, weighing over 12,292 metric tons and measuring over 90 meters long and 47 meters high, roughly the size of a 12-storey building, almost as long as a soccer field.
On the other hand, the process utility module supplies the critical common process utilities for the LNG process, including the tempered cooling water system, hot oil heating system, and the thermal oxidizer.
This module is described as a hub that supports multiple pieces of the LNG process, helping to maintain the right temperatures for the process and providing additional emissions reduction management when required.
The Woodfibre LNG development will produce 2.1 million tonnes of LNG for export annually, being built near the community of Squamish on the traditional territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation).
This project is owned by Woodfibre LNG Limited Partnership, owned 70% by Pacific Energy Corporation (Canada) and 30% by Enbridge.