PIPELINES / BC Gas southern crossing Pipeline Project
VANCOUVER, March 4 /CNW/ - On March 4, 1998, the British Columbia
Environmental Assessment Office accepted for review BC Gas Utility Ltd.'s
Project Approval Certificate application for the Southern Crossing pipeline.
BC Gas anticipates this review will be completed by July 1998 and that
Ministerial approval will be granted shortly thereafter.
BC Gas also expects the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) to
release its decision in the near future on the company's application for a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity.
With timely approval by both the BCUC and the Ministries of Environment,
Lands & Parks and Energy & Mines, BC Gas believes the Southern Crossing
pipeline can be in service by November 1999 in order to meet the growing
demands of BC Gas' customers.
Randy Jespersen, BC Gas Senior Vice President of Gas Supply, stated ''As
regional demand continues to grow in British Columbia and the Pacific
Northwest, significant pipeline infrastructure will be required to ensure
adequate supplies at reasonable prices for natural gas consumers. Southern
Crossing is an essential element in meeting the needs of our customers today
and their growing demands in the future while creating a significant economic
investment in the interior of our province.''
The Southern Crossing pipeline is a 312-kilometre, 24-inch pipeline
extending from the Alberta Natural Gas pipeline in southeastern B.C. to the
Okanagan Valley, near Oliver, B.C. It is estimated to cost $350 million and
it is anticipated that approximately $60 million will be spent directly along
the pipeline route resulting in some 500 person-years of employment. A total
of $190 million will be spent within B.C. resulting in approximately 3000
person-years of employment.
BC Gas is British Columbia's leading natural gas utility, serving the
natural gas needs of over 730,000 residential, commercial and industrial
customers throughout B.C.
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