From coal, to liquefied petroleum gas, Ridley Terminals Inc. in northern B.C. wants to expand its existing berth to accommodate future growth.
The plans for the Ridley Terminal Berth Expansion Project were revealed at the District of Port Edward meeting on Tuesday, July 10, by RTI president and chief operating officer Marc Dulude, and corporate affairs manager, Michelle Bryant-Gravelle.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e proposing a terminal expansion to accommodate a second berth south east of the existing berth extension of the dock structure,B次元官网网址� Bryant-Gravelle said to council.
This will allow the terminal to be able to load two vessels on the existing trestle at the same time.
B次元官网网址淩ational for the project is to handle other bulk commodities to diversify export opportunities and to reduce the commercial risks of handling one product,B次元官网网址� Bryant-Gravelle said. B次元官网网址淭he berth expansion location also preserves future expansion options at the berth.B次元官网网址�
Future expansion being that the AltaGas propane export terminal is expected to be ready to ship liquefied natural gas by the first quarter of 2019.
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If the berth expansion project goes ahead it will bring jobs for 20-40 people.
Ridley Terminals has already consulted with First Nations and is moving toward its next step B次元官网网址� environmental preparation and evaluation.
The expansion, which will be on federal land, is not a designated project, and will be going under an environmental review under of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). Five federal authorities B次元官网网址� Environment and Climate Change Canada, Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, RTI and Prince Rupert Port Authority B次元官网网址� will determine whether the project will cause any significant or adverse effects.
Potential effects, as described in the presentation, will be a change in habitat, sensory disturbances, change in air quality, noise and lighting.
B次元官网网址淗ow many more trains will we get from this new dock?B次元官网网址� Mayor Dave MacDonald asked.
With increased coal shipments to Ridley Terminals there has been a noticeable increase in train traffic. From January to May, 3.4 million tonnes of coal was shipped from Ridley Island. Dulude said they may be heading toward shipping 9-million tonnes of coal this year.
While Dulude didnB次元官网网址檛 have a set answer for the mayor, he suggested that they will use longer trains with the same volume of goods coming through Port Edward, rather than several smaller trains.
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B次元官网网址淢y priority this year was to stabilize our organization and increase the volume and we have been able to achieve that. The next step is we need to focus on how we can do better in terms of performance but also in terms of acting responsibly regarding our neighbours and communities,B次元官网网址� he said.
Another concern from council surrounded the dredging that will need to be done to accommodate vessels.
Where exactly the dredge sediment is released has yet to be determined, but in the presentation one option was crossed out on the Prince Rupert Port AuthorityB次元官网网址檚 spoil managements area. Another possible option was to dispose the sediment in the ocean, which Port Edward council made a point was not their favourite option.
Dulude said they will take it into consideration but will go with expert opinion on where to dispose the sediment.
With coal volumes increasing, Dulude said: B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e already working on a plan for additional expansion in the future, assuming we still have support for the community.B次元官网网址�
Open houses and a 30-day public consultation period is planned for the fall. If all goes well, RTI hopes the federal authorities will determine the fate of the project by December or January.
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shannon.lough@thenorthernview.com
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