FortisBC is offering alternatives for its proposed pipeline route and compressor station location for the planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.
In response to public feedback and the conditions of the Squamish Nation, the natural gas provider has come up with a new location option for its compressor station that is farther away from Squamish residents and a pipeline route option that avoids the Wildlife Management Area (WMA) to feed natural gas to the proposed Woodfibre LNG plant slated for southwest of Squamish.
“We are making some changes to our application to address the feedback we have received thus far,” FortisBC spokesman Trevor Boudreau told The Squamish Chief. “We are identifying two new options, one that will allow us to move the compressor station outside the urban area and into a location that is just at the base of Mount Mulligan,” he said.
The new location is about two kilometres southeast of the Valleycliffe neighbourhood.
The original proposed location for the compressor station was behind the Sea to Sky Business Park in Squamish.
“We are [also] proposing a new [pipeline] construction option that would allow us to address the feedback around surface disturbances in the WMA during construction.”
The new Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline Project option would involve building a tunnel underneath the Squamish Estuary, 30 metres beneath the Squamish River, and then through the adjacent Monmouth ridge mountain.
Fortis has submitted two addenda to its original application with the Environmental Assessment Office to address the new construction method underneath the estuary and to address the move of the compressor station.
“It is what we have to do to make sure that the ultimate project aligns with the community values, and quite frankly, we can achieve social license for the project. This is why we do such extensive consultation,” Boudreau said.
The original options for both the compressor station and pipeline route are still on the table with the EAO, he said.
There will be another EAO comment period held from Sept. 24 to Oct. 15 to allow the public to provide feedback on the new alternatives, according to Boudreau.
FortisBC paused its Environmental Assessment review process in June following the release of the Squamish Nation’s 25 conditions of support for the Woodfibre LNG facility – the top five of which included moving the compressor station and rerouting the pipeline.
“We still have to do some work to address them, but we are really committed to making that happen,” he said.
The review process will remain paused, Boudreau said, as these new options are considered.
There will be an EAO hosted open house for the public to review the new options on Oct. 7. from 4-8 p.m. at the Sea to Sky Hotel.
