AltaGas to Build First Propane Terminal on Ridley
AltaGas says it will proceed with construction of Canada’s first West Coast propane export facility. It has federal approval and long-term commercial agreements in hand.
The Ridley Export Terminal, located at Prince Rupert, B.C., will be designed to ship 1.2 million tonnes of propane per year and is estimated to cost approximately $450 - $500 million, the company says.
The terminal, near Prince Rupert, will cut shipping distances to Asian markets to 10 days from 25 compared the U.S. Gulf Coast, the company says.
The project is expected to create 200 to 250 construction jobs and about 40 to 50 permanent jobs once operational.
“This export facility is another promising development for our province, connecting producers in northeast B.C. to markets in Asia,” said B.C. Premier Christy Clark in a statement.
According to AltaGas's website explaining the project, propane from British Columbia and Alberta natural gas producers will be transported to the facility using the existing CN rail network.
It is estimated that the proposed facility will offload approximately 50 to 60 rail cars per day and deliver by marine transport approximately 20 to 30 cargos of propane per year to market.
The company says it already has an agreement to sell at least half of the propane exports from the Ridley terminal to Japan-based Astomos Energy Corp., and is in discussions with several buyers on further capacity commitments.