BCBusiness

56 INVEST in BC 2 0 2 5 Official Publication of the BC Economic Development Association in special partnership with BCBusiness. TOP TO BOT TOM: PACIFIC CANBRIAM ENERGY; SCHARFSINN/SHUT TERSTOCK FEEDSTOCK: Pacific Canbriam plans to build a second natural gas processing plant near Fort St. John (above); there are also hopes for a hydrogen hub (left) B.C.'S GAS FINALLY FINDS ITS MARKET The full impact on the natural gas sector of LNG Canada's offtake has yet to be felt, and three more LNG export facilities are in the works. This promises to finally see the enormous Montney and Horn River gas formations, once considered too remote to be economical, to be developed at scale. Pipeline company Enbridge has plans for expansion of its Sunrise network in the region to boost the flow of natural gas to southern B.C. and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Pacific Canbriam, which already operates the Altares gas plant in the Northeast, has applied to construct a second processing facility, Kobes, northwest of Fort St. John. It is meant to supply gas to the Woodfibre LNG export terminal under construction near Squamish. Still awaiting a final investment decision from proponent NorthRiver Midstream is the Northeast B.C. Connector Project, consisting of two liquid natural gas pipelines running from Wonowon, north of Fort St. John, to a delivery site in Alberta. Looking further into the future, Foresight Canada and B.C.'s Clean Energy and Major Projects Office are exploring the opportunity to create a "hydrogen hub" in the Northeast that would capture "blue" hydrogen derived from hydrocarbons for use in emissions-free heavy truck and rail transport while sequestering the carbon dioxide produced deep underground. Conuma Resources, which restarted three idled steelmaking coal mines near Tumbler Ridge between 2016 and 2020, is now taking steps to revive the Quintette and Peace River Coal mines to replace supply from its earlier acquisitions, now becoming depleted. These larger resource sites are expected to support mining activity for decades to come. Meanwhile a Calgary company, CTI Plus Resources, has entered the regulatory process to bring a new greenfield mine, Rocky Creek, into production south of Chetwynd. Canfor Corp.'s decision to close its Plateau and Fort St. John sawmills in late 2024 was a blow to the area's forest industry, leaving loggers and remanufacturers looking for ways to create new products, markets and supply chains. The 2021 Yahey court decision, which found that past resource development had cumulatively infringed on the rights of Treaty 8 First Nations, and the ensuing 2023 accord between the Blueberry River First Nation and the provincial government has reconfigured the pathways to development in the Northeast. New relationships are intended to be more inclusive and responsive to the interests of the area's Indigenous inhabitants while also establishing certainty for resource developers and investors. Bit by bit, the stakeholders are establishing a template for land and resource management being watched across Canada. • N O R T H E A S T

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