Article content

Upstart firm Steelhead LNG Corp. is hoping that it can break the dominance of major gas players to carve a market for independent companies in British Columbia’s crowded liquefied natural gas market.

Steelhead applied for an export permit with the National Energy Board to transport up to 30 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas, the company said Tuesday at a press conference in British Columbia.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Steelhead proposes US$30-billion LNG export facility on Vancouver island Back to video

The Vancouver-based company also signed an agreement with the Huu-ay-aht First Nations (HFN) to jointly explore the development of the LNG project on HFN-owned land at Sarita Bay, about 10 kilometres north of Anacla at the southern end of Alberni Inlet on Vancouver Island. The company also has the support of Port Alberni Port Authority, which played matchmaker by encouraging the First Nations group to discuss an LNG initiative with Steelhead.

If it moves ahead, the US$30-billion plan would be among the biggest of the 13 LNG projects on the West Coast being proposed by major players such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc., Chevron Corp. and Petronas Bhd, but the first production line may be a more modest 12 mtpa.