Petrochemical facility announced

$5.6 billion petrochemical facility in the works for Prince George

Jul 24, 2019 | 2:43 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – West Coast Olefins of Calgary has purchased a 300-acre site in the BCR Industrial Area within the City of Prince George in preparation of a $5.6 billion petrochemical project at the site.

The company says the project would include a world-scale ethylene plant and polyethylene facility with the majority of the polyethylene product being shipped to growing Asian markets. Polyethylene is the most commonly used type of plastic in the world.

West Coast Olefins says once fully operational, the facility will create up to 1,000 permanent highly skilled jobs, while several thousand workers will be needed to support construction of the facility over three years.

As for possible environmental concerns, the company says it is aware of the local sensitivity to air shed concerns in the “bowl area” of the city, especially particulate matter and odour issues.

“The plant uses a low-carbon, clean-burning mixture of methane and hydrogen as its main fuel source for fired equipment that has no soot or odour and minimizes GHG emissions,” says the company.

“We believe that this makes a strong case for how this project fits with the provincial climate action plan.”

West Coast Olefins says the search started a year ago locally to investigate local capabilities to ensure that the company maximizes its use of local labour and associated construction and fabrication infrastructure.

The company says its preparing to enter the formal regulatory approval process and is targeting a final investment decision by the end of 2020, followed by a three-year construction period to bring the facilities into full commercial operation. This will include a public engagement and public consultation process.

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