Announcing its maiden dispatch from the project, Petronas said, “LNG Canada is a critical component of PETRONAS’ global LNG strategy to diversify its supply portfolio and increase market flexibility. Strategically located on Canada’s west coast and connected to PETRONAS’ upstream gas assets in Northeast B.C., LNG Canada offers a direct and efficient shipping corridor to key North Asian markets including Japan, South Korea and China”.
LNG Canada has shipped its first cargo from Kitimat on the west coast of Canada, a milestone for Canada’s first large-scale LNG project, Shell announced on Monday.
Rising Canadian oil production and continued demand for more shipping capacity at the key U.S. refining hubs have prompted Canada’s pipeline giant Enbridge to test interest from potential shippers for a new pipeline in Illinois linked to the Mainline system.
This year, production is set for a record annual average of 3.5 million bpd, up by 5% compared to the 2024 output, while oil sands volumes are expected to top 3.9 million bpd by 2030, per S&P Global Commodity Insights. The projection for 2030 is 500,000 bpd higher compared to the 2024 production level and is 100,000 bpd – or almost 3% — higher compared to the previous 10-year outlook.
LNG Canada represents a USD 40 billion-41 billion investment following a final investment decision in October 2018—making it Canada’s largest private-sector investment ever. Construction began in early 2020 and by mid-2024 was over 95% complete.
Once LNG Canada becomes fully operational, natural gas exports to the United States are expected to decline as more gas is directed to the liquefaction trains on Canada’s West Coast. There are also two smaller LNG export facilities under construction there, which will further squeeze exports to the south in the future. Woodfibre LNG and Cedar LNG are scheduled for completion between 2027 and 2028.
“G7 members must fully ban imports of Russian energy – oil, coal, natural gas, uranium. Canada, with the world’s fifth-largest oil reserves and as a top-three uranium producer, can help fill the gap.” The statement was made this week by the head of the G7 research group, a University of Toronto political science professor.
But can Canada really replace Russia entirely on the global energy scene? That might be tough.
Petronas, as the Malaysian state energy firm is known, is working with a financial adviser on a potential disposal, the people said, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private. A transaction could value the Canadian business at $6 billion to $7 billion, they said.
Alberta’s wildfire season is off to a fiery start, with a major blaze near the town of Swan Hills prompting evacuations and temporarily shuttering oil operations. The fire—burning out of control and spanning roughly 1,600 hectares—is just 7 km from Swan Hills, forcing the town’s 1,200 residents to flee Monday night.
TotalEnergies has signed an agreement to purchase 2 million tonnes per annum of LNG over 20 years from the Ksi Lisims LNG project in British Columbia, Canada, the company said on Monday.
The agreement, subject to the project’s final investment decision, also includes TotalEnergies acquiring a 5% stake in Western LNG, the project’s developer and future operator, with the option to raise its participation up to around 10% upon FID.