Overview
- B.C. issued an environmental assessment certificate with 23 legally enforceable conditions, including a net-zero emissions plan updated every five years and connection to BC Hydro when service is available.
- Federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin approved the project following a substituted assessment, the first under the amended Impact Assessment Act, with IAAC to enforce federal conditions and oversee follow-up programs.
- Consent remains contested: Gitga’at and Kitselas granted consent, Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla and Kitsumkalum denied it, Gitxalaa did not provide notice, and the Haida Nation wrote that it does not consent to the project or associated vessel traffic.
- The plan calls for two floating LNG units at Pearse Island supplied by the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline, targeting about 12 million tonnes per year starting in late 2028 or 2029, with up to 450 construction jobs and roughly 200–250 permanent roles.
- Environmental groups warn of increased greenhouse-gas emissions and risks to salmon and coastal ecosystems, while the province cites job creation and a projected $17 billion lifetime economic contribution; capital cost estimates range from roughly C$10 billion to about C$26 billion.