TransCanada Corp.’s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project (PRGT) received an Environmental Assessment Certificate (EAC) from the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office. The approval will allow the gas pipeline project to proceed, pending a final investment decision from PETRONAS and receipt of a construction permit from the province’s Oil & Gas Commission.

PRGT will deliver natural gas 900 kilometers (559 miles) from a point near Hudson’s Hope to the proposed Pacific NorthWest LNG facility in the District of Port Edward, where the gas will be converted into LNG for transport to global markets. The pipeline will have an initial capacity of about 2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) with the assistance of three compressor stations, and may be expanded to transport 3.6 Bcf/d by adding up to five compressor stations.

The EAC contains 45 conditions, many of which reflect current best practices for gas pipeline construction and operation. They also include conditions adopted to address project-specific concerns, as raised by the Nisga’a Nation, Aboriginal groups, local communities and resource management agencies.