FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The province has announced plans to fast track multiple mineral and energy projects in B.C amid tariff threats from the United States of America.
On February 4th, the provincial government released an “initial” list of 18 projects to accelerate, ranging from wind and solar farms to mines and pipelines, in order to diversify the economy.
The projects are expected to employ around 8,000 people across the province, and the announced list includes four mines, three “energy security” projects and eleven BC Hydro clean energy ventures.
In a press release, Mark Zacharias, executive director of Clean Energy Canada, said there is “nothing like a crisis to catalyze change”.
“The smart move for B.C. is to get projects built in sectors seeing and projecting the most growth,” Zacharias said.
“This project list is a thoughtful balance of efforts to electrify projects that would otherwise be powered by fossil fuels and getting new mines and mine expansions off of the ground.”
Of the list, two of the wind projects and the three energy security projects are located in or have ties to the Peace River region.
Cedar LNG
An indigenous-owned and operated facility expected to produce 3.3 million tonnes of liquid natural gas per annum, the Cedar LNG project is a partnership between Pembina Pipeline Corporation and Haisla First Nation.
The $4 billion project sits within the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation in Kitimat, and is intended to “leverage Canada’s abundant natural gas supply” and the province’s increasing LNG infrastructure to distribute “industry-leading, low-carbon, cost-competitive Canadian LNG for overseas markets”.
The project is the first Indigenous majority-owned LNG project in the world, and is also expected to have one of the cleanest international environmental profiles as it will be powered by hydroelectricity.
Cedar LNG received its final investment in June 2024, and prior to the provincial announcement, was expected to be completed by 2028.
NEBC Connector
The Northeast B.C. Connector (NEBC) Project, operated by NorthRiver Midstream, involves two liquid natural gas pipelines running from Wonowon across the provincial border into the Gordondale area of Alberta.
The City of Fort St. John council wrote a letter of support for the project in November 2023, a few weeks before the project was recommended for approval by the Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator.
In 2025, NorthRiver is continuing to work with customers, partners, regulatory authorities and Indigenous groups to secure the final investment decision necessary for construction and completion of the project.
The project timeline maintained by NorthRiver Midstream estimates construction of the project will be completed and the pipelines will begin service in 2027.
Northern section of the BC Pipeline, Enbridge T – North
According to Enbridge, the BC Pipeline stretches 2,952 kilometres from northeast B.C. and Alberta to the lower mainland and the Canadian border with the United States of America.
The BC Pipeline is split into two sections, T-North connecting mainlines in Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, Stewart Lake and Boundary Lake, and T-South which connects the northeast to downstream markets in the province and export markets.
The natural gas pipeline is capable of moving 3.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, and connects third-party processing plants throughout the region.
Enbridge first proposed expanding the BC Pipeline to the northeast and submitted an application for the project in January 2024.
The project was approved by the Canada Energy Regulator in December 2024. Enbridge says it will start construction on the project in 2025, and aims to complete the expansion by the end of 2026.
Stewart Creek Wind Project
One of the two wind projects in the Peace region included in the initial list from the government, this wind project is a collaborative effort between West Moberly First Nations (WMFN) and Innergex.
Expected to produce 200 megawatts of power annually, the project was one approved and included in BC Hydro’s Call for Power.
WMFN holds a 51 per cent stake in the project, and has signed a 30-year electricity purchase agreement with BC Hydro.
The project is anticipated to come online in 2030 prior to the provincial announcement.
Taylor Wind Project
The Taylor Wind Project is one of two wind projects highlighted in the provincial list located in the Peace River region, and was one of the projects passed as part of BC Hydro’s Call for Power initiative.
Described as a “true equity partnership” between EDF Renewables and Saulteau First Nations (SFN), the Taylor Wind Project is intended to supply BC Hydro with 200 megawatts of power upon coming fully online.
Agreements between the company and SFN stipulated the nation holds 51 per cent ownership of the farm, and on January 23rd the nation signed an electric-purchasing agreement with BC Hydro.
The project is planned to include 40 wind turbines, a substation, a high-voltage transmission line and various additional infrastructure.
The project is currently planned to come online in 2031, however it is unknown how the government’s announcement will impact this timeline.
Energeticcity.ca will be speaking with Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions Adrian Dix this week to get more information about the announcement, discuss how it will be impacting projects in the Northeast and what can be expected in the future.
