The development of a liquid natural gas export project based in British Columbia with estimated economic impact of $55 billion took a major step forward last Monday as the group behind the proposal kicked off the regulatory process by filing an initial project description with Ottawa and the government of British Columbia.

The project is a partnership between The Nisga’a Nation, Texas-based liquid natural gas export facilities developer Western LNG and Rockies LNG, a limited partnership of oil-and-gas producers that collectively produce about 20 per cent of Canada’s natural gas.

The proposed 12-million-tonne-per-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) project is to be located at Wil Milit on the northern tip of Pearse Island near the Nisga’a village of Gingolx, with Asia targeted as a key export market. Commercial operations at The Ksi Lisims LNG project are expected to begin in late 2027 or 2028.

“Attracting an economic base to the Nass Valley has long been a priority for the Nisga’a Nation,” said Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga’a Nation. “This is why, for close to a decade, our Nation has worked to attract a world-leading LNG project to our treaty lands.”

The Ksi Lisims LNG project is moving forward despite the cancellation of several other multi-billion-dollar LNG export projects in B.C., including the $36-billion Pacific NorthWest LNG project near Prince Rupert and Exxon Mobil Corp.’s $25-billion West Coast Canada LNG project.

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