The parade of energy companies seeking Town of Smithers’ council approval continued last week with a presentation by Spectra Energy.
At the regular council meeting Jan. 8, Kristen Rock, Spectra’s community co-ordinator business development, made a presentation to bring the town up to speed on their proposed natural gas pipeline that will run about 850 kms from northeast B.C. to Prince Rupert.
“As a council we certainly appreciate companies coming and telling us about their plans,” Mayor Taylor Bachrach said.
“Resource development that occurs outside our boundaries affects the people who live in the community.
“These projects cross streams upriver so it’s important for council to be aware of what the proposals are as there are a large number of proposed pipelines in various stages of development.”
Spectra Energy has partnered with BG Group on the proposal to transport natural gas from the Fort St. John area to BG Group’s potential LNG export facility in Prince Rupert.
The proposed pipeline will transport nearly 119 million cubic metres per day and Spectra hopes construction will begin in 2015.
But there is a lot of work that needs to be done before they get to the construction stage, Rosemary Silva, Spectra Energy Transmission external communications, said.
“Our goal is to determine, together, how we can take advantage of the new opportunities growing from natural gas in a way that is beneficial for everyone,” Silva said.
The route has yet to be finalized and Spectra Energy said it continues to engage stakeholders to further refine the pipeline’s path.
The project is currently working its way through the regulatory review process and last November was accepted by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office for review.