Tilbury LNG decision flies in the face of expert scientific advice and market conditions

VANCOUVER | UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES — Yesterday’s approval by the B.C. government of FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG marine jetty project in the densely populated Lower Mainland is the wrong move for a stable climate, public health, key habitats and a sustainable energy system. Expanding liquefied natural gas exports is a risky bet when the world is pivoting to renewables and clean technologies, and is likely to make affordability challenges worse.

On Monday, new research emphasized the risks and the staggering electricity load required if LNG export projects are built.

“LNG is a risky bet. Demand will soon peak, and with massive expansion of LNG export capacity globally, a market glut is coming. Higher-cost exports from B.C. won’t compete with lower-cost producers. Exporting LNG will increase the cost of gas in B.C. and will tax the province’s electricity supply, affecting affordability for B.C. residents,” said David Suzuki Foundation energy transition specialist John Young. “The world’s leading authority on energy markets, the International Energy Agency, and the world’s leading authority on climate science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, are both crystal clear: We can’t build any more fossil fuel infrastructure anywhere in the world if we want a livable planet.”

Last week, the B.C. Utilities Commission issued a decision on FortisBC Energy Inc.’s 2022 Long-Term Gas Resource Plan. As reported by the Canadian Press, the BCUC did not accept FortisBC’s planned investments in LNG due to uncertainty in the LNG market and an inability to determine whether LNG investments would be beneficial to FortisBC customers or in the public interest.

“In many other ways, the B.C. government is showing its commitment to climate action, but plans to continue fracking methane and exporting this fossil gas are incongruent with that commitment,” Young said. “LNG continues to be this province’s climate Achilles heel.”

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For more information or a media interview, please contact:

Brendan Glauser, bglauser@davidsuzuki.org, (604) 356 8829