The Regional District of Bulkley Nechako board of directors got a first-hand look at progress being made on the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) natural gas pipeline project and the proposed export facility, Ksi Lisims LNG, on March 12. Western LNG representatives Natasha Westover, director of community relations, and Heather Taylor, senior director of social performance, told the board via Zoom that Ksi Lisims will be “one of the lowest emission LNG facilities in the world.” Westover claimed the facility will produce three to five million tonnes fewer emissions per year than comparable facilities. And, as an Indigenous-led project, it is “a testament to reconciliation in this country,” she said.
PRGT, originally owned by TC Energy, was sold in a joint venture to the Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government and Texas-based Western LNG in 2024. In 2025, the B.C. government deemed the project ‘substantially started,’ allowing it to proceed with construction using environmental certificates obtained in 2014, which has become a point of contention with some of the First Nations along the route and environmental groups. Nevertheless, Westover stated the pipeline has begun with pre-construction, clearing over 42 kilometres of right-of-way, installing nine permanent bridges, 47 kilometres of access roads, and one compressor station. The pipeline will be 48” wide and approximately 750 km long, transporting liquefied natural gas from northeastern B.C. to Ksi Lisims LNG. Ksi Lisims LNG is a proposed floating export facility, to be built within Nisg̱a’a coastal territory. Codeveloped by the Nisg̱a’a Lisims Government, Western LNG, and Alberta-based Rockies LNG, it’s designed to be net-zero and powered by hydroelectricity. To power Ksi Lisims, Westover explained that a 120-kilometre, 280-volt transmission line, with a 15-kilometre submarine cable portion, must be built to connect to BC Hydro’s transmission grid. BC Hydro is currently working toward upgrading its grid with the North Coast Transmission Line project. It is one of the projects that was fast-tracked in late 2025 by the new federal Major Projects Office as being in the “national interest.”
Read more at: https://interior-news.com/2026/03/13/western-lng-pitches-bulkley-nechako-regional-district-on-benefits-of-natural-gas-pipeline-project/
