I am hearing a lot of bad press and negative opinions on the prospect of processing and shipping LNG from the Woodfibre site. Most of the arguments against the Woodfibre LNG project are fabricated hype with no factual standing. Examples are as follows:
1) Marine wildlife will be endangered by the presence of LNG tankers transiting Howe Sound.
It is fact that most orcas and other large marine mammals are killed or injured by fishing craft or pleasure boats, not large vessels. The tankers transit Howe Sound at a slow speed and with a set course, plus with an escort of tug boats to ensure safe passage. If this is such a big concern, then all boats including the B.C. Ferries need to be banned in Howe Sound.
2) Danger of LNG vessels exploding.
The LNG tankers are built with extreme safety in mind. There is a greater chance of a grain, coal or fertilizer vessel exploding in Vancouver Harbour than there is of a LNG vessel explosion. The statistics speak for themselves.
3) We should be concentrating on green energy instead.
For Vancouver to install wind turbines or solar panels to replace all the power or energy produced by natural gas, massive clear cutting on all the local mountains would be required to produce equal energy. Or, more hydroelectric dams would have to be built. These do not seem to be very popular options. Biodiesel and ethanol cannot be considered as green energy because they require petroleum to be mixed in with it.
4) Lastly and most importantly, the effect of LNG on the environment.
A lot of discussion and statistics are presented to show the CO2 emissions from LNG production and final usage. What seems to be neglected to be mentioned is that Japan wants to replace nuclear power production with LNG and China wants to replace their coal power generation with LNG. We all saw what happened to the Fukushima nuclear plant and see new footage of people forced to wear masks in the cities in China because of the air pollution caused by coal power plants. There are no viable energy alternatives other than natural gas (LNG). The pollution affects everyone globally whether they realize it or not. The longer we delay shipping LNG, the longer the nuclear reactors will be operating in Japan.
In conclusion with environmental concerns in mind, the question should be, can we afford not to ship LNG? The Woodfibre LNG project will be a valuable economic infusion to the Squamish area as well as to the province of B.C.
I am an LNG specialist working in the oil and gas industry for over 15 years. I was born and raised in Burnaby, worked in the shipping industry in Vancouver and then moved to the New York area to work in the energy trading and shipping industry.
