North Coast Transmission Line may help Ksi Lisims project in northwest B.C.

B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix said a memorandum of understanding between B.C. Hydro and the Nisga'a First Nation would allow the North Coast Transmission Line to supply up to 600 megawatts to the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG project, and construction of the line is expected to start this summer.

B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix announced a memorandum of understanding between B.C. Hydro and the Nisga'a First Nation intended to support the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG facility. The agreement would allow the North Coast Transmission Line to supply up to 600 megawatts to the project. The Ksi Lisims development is a proposed 12‑million‑tonne‑per‑year floating LNG facility on Pearse Island in Nisga'a Treaty territory that received provincial and federal environmental approvals in September. A final investment decision for Ksi Lisims has not yet been made. Key facts: - The MOU was signed at a ceremony in Prince George during the annual B.C. Natural Resources Forum, with signatories including Adrian Dix, Eva Clayton and Charlotte Mitha. - B.C. Hydro says the North Coast Transmission Line would supply up to 600 megawatts and that the first two phases would twin an existing 450‑kilometre line between Prince George and Terrace, with a proposed third phase extending about 350 kilometres north of Terrace. - Construction of the transmission line is expected to start this summer, and full electrification for connected projects is anticipated around 2032 following completion. - B.C. Hydro stated that if Ksi Lisims receives final approval it would be the first major project on the northern coast to connect to the line; Ksi Lisims still awaits a final investment decision. - Ksi Lisims is being developed in partnership between the Nisga'a Nation, Rockies LNG Ltd. Partnership and Western LNG, and documents indicate project assets would be built and operated by subsidiaries of Western LNG based in Houston. - B.C. Hydro did not release financial details of the MOU, and said Ksi Lisims and other prospective customers are subject to existing tariffs and are responsible for infrastructure from their point of interconnection and for posting security for system reinforcements. Summary: The MOU links the North Coast Transmission Line to the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG project and is presented by officials as a step to provide the electricity capacity the proponents say the facility would need. The transmission project has a planned construction start this summer and an electrification target around 2032; the Ksi Lisims project remains subject to a pending final investment decision.