Exxon Mobil has reportedly withdrawn its environmental assessment application for the proposed West Coast Canada (WCC) liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal on the British Columbia coast in Canada.
The move points to potential shelving of the $25bn LNG project, which the company proposed to develop in partnership with Imperial Oil Resources.
An unidentified ExxonMobil spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying: “After careful review, ExxonMobil and Imperial have withdrawn the WCC LNG project from the environmental assessment process.”
Exxon Mobil is focused on LNG projects in Asia, the Middle East and the US. According to Reuters, the global demand for LNG is anticipated to double to 550 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2030. Northeast Asia is a major import market for the commodity.
The WCC LNG export project involves production, storage, transfer, and loading of LNG onto vessels for export to offshore markets.
It was projected to have LNG production of around 15mtpa to serve customers in Asia, with potential for expansion of the capacity up to 30mtpa. The assessment process for the WCC LNG project commenced in January 2015.
The BC Environmental Assessment Office in a statement said: “At WCC LNG Project’s request, the proposed WCC LNG project has been withdrawn from the environmental assessment process.”
The withdrawal of the application comes after Shell and its partners, including Petronas, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and KOGAS, made a final investment decision (FID) on the $40bn LNG Canada project in Kitimat in northern British Columbia.
The LNG Canada project will include a gas liquefaction plant and a 670km gas supply pipeline.
