Shell Canada takes Prince Rupert LNG off the project inventory list

Numerous reports indicate that the proposed
Prince Rupert LNG Terminal project has been shelved
(photo from PR LNG website)

It would appear that some valuable industrial land is about to open up for development on Ridley Island with the Terrace Standard the first to report today that Shell Canada has decided to put the plans for an LNG Terminal in Prince Rupert on the shelf.

The Shell decision brings to an end the prospects for the development known as Prince Rupert LNG that was at one time the leading contender for LNG development on the North Coast.

Though a decision to put the project aside should not be a surprise to local observers, as Shell inherited the project when they took over BG Gas in a huge energy sector deal in 2015, putting it into competition with a project that Shell had already moved ahead in development in the Kitimat region.

Since that time, there has been little movement seen on the proposed development, earlier this year Herb Pond who was the local face of the project stepped aside from the BG offices as he launched his quest for the North Coast seat in the upcoming British Columbia election.

The offices for Prince Rupert LNG
will remain open until May to
finish off local community initiatives

Along with the shelving of the project for Prince Rupert, the proposed pipeline to feed the terminal is now a thing of the past, the Westcoast connector as it was known as, was to transport gas from the Northeast to the terminal on Ridley Island.

It's been reported that the local Prince Rupert office will remain open until the end of May to complete ongoing initiatives in the community.

As we noted earlier today on the blog, Shell has been involved in a range of financial announcements this week, leaving the Alberta oil sands completely, while turning its focus towards the LNG sector.

The company still has one major project on the books in British Columbia, putting its focus on plans for the Kitimat location of their LNG Canada Terminal proposal.

We can expect to see more pressure put on Pacific NorthWest LNG to move it's planned terminal project to the Ridley site, that has been a common theme for Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen, who has suggested that the Ridley location is a better choice for the Malaysian energy company to consider.

Our archive of items related to the Prince Rupert LNG files can be found here.

More notes on today's announcement will be added to our archive found below:

Development on Prince Rupert LNG project being discontinued
Prince Rupert LNG Project officially dead as Shell focuses on Kitimat
Shell officially shelves plans to build Prince Rupert LNG project

Cross posted from the North Coast Review