LNG Canada Receives Critical Cooldown Shipment, On Track for First Export Cargo

LNG Canada received its critical cooldown shipment of LNG on April 2, marking a significant milestone for the project set to become Canada’s first major LNG export facility. The project is on track to achieve its first export cargo by the middle of 2025, opening up a key market for Canada in the LNG industry.

The project, touted as the largest private sector investment in Canadian history, began construction in 2019 with plans for two trains and two docks to handle LNG carriers. With a processing capacity of up to 2 billion cubic feet per day, LNG Canada represents approximately 11 percent of current Canadian gas output, with a total annual capacity of 14 million tonnes and potential expansion with two additional trains.

LNG Canada is a joint venture company comprised of Shell, PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corporation, and KOGAS, signaling the start of an industry expected to flourish in the second half of the decade.

Cooldown cargo arrived from Australia as testing proceeds at the new facility in British Columbia (LNG Canada)

Following careful planning and coordination, LNG Canada welcomed its first LNG carrier to the facility in Kitimat, British Columbia. The vessel arrived from Gladstone, Australia aboard the Maran Gas Roxana and will be used to test the systems during the commissioning phase, cooling down the pipes and storage tanks under cryogenic conditions in preparation for operations.

The testing and commissioning phase is expected to last three to four weeks, after which the vessel will be offloaded and the pilots will navigate it back to the Pacific with the assistance of HalSea Marine’s tugs, as per Canadian authorities’ escort requirements for all LNG carriers.

With production and shipments set to begin soon, LNG Canada is nearing the realization of key milestones after years of planning and construction.