The B.C. government is making legislative changes to fast-track construction of the multi-billion North Coast Transmission Line.
The line would double the amount of electricity flowing from Prince George to Terrace, allowing for the expansion of LNG and other resource projects on the North Coast and at Prince Rupert’s port.
“This legislation will help us move faster on the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL), a nation-building project that will deliver clean electricity to responsibly power industrial growth and job creation to increase prosperity for families, communities, our province and our country,” B.C. Premier David Eby said in a statement.
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Construction could get underway as early as next summer, with the line set to be fully operational by 2034.
The NCTL is one of 18 priority projects identified by the provincial government as “essential” to expanding B.C.’s electricity grid and support the development of new mines, LNG facilities and port expansions.
Eby said the goal is to use Canadian steel in the construction of the line but only if railway freight rates allow for that.
The project passes through the territory of 14 First Nations, who will all be given a chance to take partial ownership of the line.
“This project will make a significant contribution to industrial growth in our region, ensuring that growth happens in a good way, in a green way and in a healthy way,” Wes Sam, Chief for Ts’il Kaz Koh First Nation, said.
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