The 14 BIGGEST construction projects planned for B.C.

14. Galore Creek Gold/Silver/Copper Mine

This proposed project is located 145 km northwest of Stewart, B.C. The mine would have a processing rate of 65,000 TPD. Concentrate would be shipped out through the port of Stewart and power would be supplied via the BC hydro grid. The Galore Creek Mining Corporation (GCMC) is currently undertaking a
comprehensive Pre-feasibility Study to advance the Galore Creek Project (the Project) and are anticipating a major regulatory process to assess Project updates and modernize and amend existing authorizations.

13. Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project ($5 billion)

The fate of this project has been up in the air since the Pacific NorthWest LNG terminal project, which this pipeline was intended to connect to, was scrapped in 2017. The project would build a 900 km natural gas pipeline from Fort St. John to Port Edward, near Prince Rupert. The project has been certified under the Environmental Assessment Act and 11 permits for pipeline and compressor stations have been issued by the BC Oil and Gas Commission. The team also has project agreements with 13 First Nations in place. Project options are currently in review.

12. West Coast Olefins Ethylene Plant ($5.2 billion)

This team believes there is massive opportunity in the natural gas value-add industry in B.C. West Coast Olefins is developing a project to recover propane, butane and natural gas condensate – collectively known as natural gas liquids, or NGLs – from the Enbridge Westcoast Energy Pipeline that runs just east of Prince George, B.C.  Recovered propane, butane and condensates will be sold to local and Asian buyers.The expected production rate would be 1 million tonnes/year for 25 years.

11. Kerr – Sulphurets – Mitchell (KSM) Gold/Copper ($5.3 billion)

As the world shifts to green technologies like solar panels and batteries, the demand for minding will increase. This open pit mine project, located approximately 65 km northwest of Stewart. Ore production of 80,000 to 120,000 mtpd over 25 years is expected, with 90,000 mtpd for the remainder of a 52-year mine life. Project has been certified under the BC Environmental Assessment Act and received federal environmental assessment approval. Exploration drilling has confirmed resources and permits for early sitework are in place.

10. Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission Project ($6 billion)

This proposed project is looking to build a multi-pipeline natural gas corridor from the Cypress area in northeast B.C. to serve proposed West Coast LNG exports in the Prince Rupert area. Work would involve constructing approximately 850-kilometres of 48-inch pipelines with a design capacity of up to 8.4 billion cubic feet per day. An Environmental Assessment Certificate has been issued. The project team says they are actively developing the project.

9. Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project (6.2 billion)

This pipeline will serve the top project on this list. Work involves building a 650 km natural gas pipeline from the Dawson Creek area to the Canada LNG facility. TransCanada Corp has been selected to design, build, own and operate the project. The pipeline has received all pipeline and facility permits and certification under the Environmental Assessment Act in Oct 2014, and in May 2018 for alternate route application. The construction timeline is expected to coordinate with LNG Canada project advancement.

8. Lougheed Town Centre Redevelopment ($7 billion) 

Phased redevelopment of the Lougheed mall into a regional town centre to include 23 residential towers, located on Lougheed Hwy and Austin Ave. The commercial buildings and tower podiums will include commercial space. Rezoning is required. This project comes from Shape Properties, the same developer that redeveloped Brentwood Town Centre.

7. Pacific Future Energy Refinery ($10 billion)

Pacific Future Energy Corporation is proposing the construction, operation and decommissioning of an oil refinery located on Dubose Flats, 32 kilometres north of Kitimat, in northwest British Columbia. The Pacific Future Energy Refinery Project would be capable of refining 31,795 m3 per day (200,000 barrels per day) of NEATBITTM (nearly solid bitumen) over a project life of at least 60 years. The project would include a new railway yard with 7 tracks and a total track length of 20.9 kilometres. A project description has been submitted to the federal and provincial environmental assessment agencies.

6. Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades ($10.4 billion)

The design concept for the upgrade includes tertiary treatment and a range of ecological restoration projects.. Upgrades will include secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment expansion, and groundworks improvements. The facility operations will be completed by 2034 and additional digestors will be constructed by 2041. Crews are currently conducting in-water geological investigations.

5. Site C Project ($16 billion)

Easily one of the most talked about project’s on this list, Site C involves building a third dam and hydroelectric generating station on the Peace River approximately seven kilometres southwest of Fort St. John. It will be capable of producing approximately 5,100 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually and 1,100 megawatts of capacity. Site C will provide clean, renewable and cost-effective power in B.C. for more than 100 years. While the project is currently underway, it has stirred up some controversy as its costs have escalated. It was originally approved with a budget of $8.7 billion.

4. ESE Synthetic Crude Pipeline ($18 billion)

This Indigenous-own proposed pipeline would transport synthetic crude from Alberta to a port at Lax Kw’alaams, north of Prince Rupert. The project is in planning stages and will include a refinery to be located in either Alberta or Fort St. John.

3. Kitimat Clean Oil Refinery ($22 billion)

This team wants to keep it clean. According to the project team, the refinery will feature state-of-the-art design, specifically for processing Alberta oil sands heavy crude oil, and be engineered to be the cleanest upgrading and refining site in the world. The proposed refinery located 13 km north of Kitimat will process an estimated 400,000 barrels/day of Alberta oil sands bitumen refined to produce diesel, gasoline, and aviation fuel. The refined products will be stored and delivered via 23 km of 18″ fuel delivery pipeline to a proposed marine terminal on the Douglas Channel, 12 km south of Kitimat. The project has entered into the pre-application stage of the Environmental Assessment process.

2. Kitsault LNG Facility ($34 billion)

Project officials say an export terminal at Kitsault for LNG operation would have the shortest natural gas pipeline for the projects currently proposed in that region, saving 100 to 300 kilometers of pipeline. The team also believes that the infrastructure in place in and around Kitsault will also allow for an accelerated start to the creation of an LNG plant and energy export facility. The facility would be a combination floating and land-based export plant located north of Alice Arm. The project’s application to export 20 million tonnes a year of natural gas was approved by the National Energy Board in May 2016.

1. LNG Canada ($36 billion)

This isn’t just one of the largest projects in B.C. It’s one of the largest projects in Canada. The LNG terminal facility is being built on the former Methanex facility site. It will include a gas liquefaction plant, storage tanks, a marine terminal and a rail yard. Water treatment facility and flare stacks will also be constructed on the site. JGC Corp and Flour Corp have been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract. An agreement is in place to connect to the BC Hydro power grid. The project has been approved under the Environmental Assessment Act, and by the National Energy Board (NEB) for a 40-yr export license to replace the current 25-year license. A final investment decision was approved in October 2018 to go ahead with the project. The 5-year process to complete a potential of four trains is expected to have the first train in production by Late 2023.