THE Province of British Columbia has issued an environmental assessment certificate to FortisBC to expand its existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility on Tilbury Island in the lower Fraser River in Delta.
Tamara Davidson, Minister of Environment and Parks, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, made the decision after carefully considering the Environmental Assessment Office’s (EAO) assessment report and recommendations, along with input from First Nations, technical experts and the public. An environmental assessment certificate is required for the project to proceed.
The ministers noted in their reasons for the decision that the Tilbury Phase 2 expansion would provide employment, contracting, procurement and training opportunities during construction and operations, as well as contribute to economic activity and tax revenues, and support energy resiliency in the Lower Mainland through additional natural-gas storage capacity. The project also provides opportunities for First Nations and local communities to participate in economic development associated with the project.
The EAO assessment concluded that the project would not cause significant adverse effects once mitigation measures and proposed conditions are applied. The environmental assessment certificate contains 18 legally binding conditions, including requirements for:
* air-quality controls and monitoring
* wildlife and vegetation protection
* greenhouse-gas reduction measures
* health and emergency planning
* public information and community feedback mechanisms
* ongoing monitoring of impact to First Nations
* local hiring and training opportunities
Throughout its assessment, the EAO sought consensus with 12 participating Indigenous Nations, including Chawathil First Nation, Cheam First Nation, Kwantlen First Nation, Kwikwetlem First Nation (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm), Musqueam Indian Band, Quw’utsun Nation (representing five First Nations), Snuneymuxw First Nation, S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance (representing 14 First Nations), SȾÁUTW̱ First Nation, Tsawwassen First Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Ts’uubaa-asatx Nation. An additional 13 Indigenous groups were notified at key milestones.
The EAO conducted the assessment on behalf of the provincial and federal governments. The single assessment is used for decisions by both levels of government, eliminating the need for two assessments for a single project. The federal decision is pending.
The Tilbury Phase 2 project entered the environmental assessment process in February 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, FortisBC requested a timeline extension. The company submitted its revised application in February 2026.
The EAO, in collaboration with First Nations and technical experts, comprehensively reviews every project that undergoes an environmental assessment to determine the potential positive and negative environmental, economic, social, cultural and health effects, cumulative effects and impacts on First Nations and their rights. Compliance and enforcement officers will monitor the project throughout construction and operation to ensure all requirements of its environmental assessment certificate are met.
Quick Facts:
* The Tilbury LNG expansion will involve adding a large new storage tank and new equipment capable of producing as much as 7,700 tonnes of liquefied natural gas per day, all within FortisBC’s existing Tilbury facility footprint.
* The Tilbury LNG facility provides backup supply to the Lower Mainland gas system during periods of peak demand and produces LNG for domestic and international markets.
* FortisBC’s Tilbury Marine Jetty project received an environmental assessment certificate in 2024 and is distinct from the Phase 2 expansion.
MEANWHILE, environmental, health and climate organizations warn that people in British Columbia will be paying billions in public subsidies for the $6-billion FortisBC-owned Tilbury LNG expansion project which, they say, will release 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions during every year of its decades-long operations.
Specifically, households across B.C. will be footing the cost by way of:
- A large new $1-billion LNG storage tank for which the BC Utilities Commission already authorized the entire cost to be passed along to ratepayers, guaranteeing a substantial indirect subsidy to a privately-owned company.
- Rising domestic gas bills, already evidenced by back-to-back yearly spikes in residential FortisBC bills—of 18 percent in 2025, and 11 percent in 2026—as FortisBC expands its gas network.
- A new industry-favourable royalty framework set to take effect in B.C. by January 1, 2027—without any independent scrutiny or public discussion. It is likely to capture only a quarter of the 50 per cent return the government says it intends to capture for residents, has people in B.C. picking up carbon costs, and embeds further subsidies for industry.
According to the organizations, with Monday’s approval, FortisBC can expand Tilbury LNG’s existing liquefaction capacities tenfold. New to the facility will be a ground-level flare, which when coupled with venting, will release significant toxic air pollutants into the residential neighbourhoods of Delta, New Westminster, South Vancouver, Richmond and Surrey.
Many of these emissions, including methane and benzene, are invisible to the naked eye and are dangerous to the climate and human health. They were documented at Tilbury LNG this summer by an ITC Level III Master Thermographer, with specialized optical imaging technology.
Fracked gas is also a dirty marine fuel that releases a powerful greenhouse gas directly into the atmosphere. From the fracking well to the wake of the ships that fill up with it, there is a trail of impactful pollution not always visible to the naked eye. Tilbury LNG will fill up 88 LNG tankers per year, subjecting the residents and visitors in Steveston and Ladner to 136 tanker transits through incredible habitat.
