Fortis is expanding its Tilbury LNG Plant, from which Seaspan fuel will be sourced.
FortisBC is to provide $5 million in incentive funding toward two new vessels for Seaspan Ferries that will be able to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The incentives were made possible following the creation of the Government of B.C.’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction regulation in 2012 when FortisBC announced the $62 million program for fleet operators to offset part of the cost for a natural gas engine over a diesel engine.
“Our government supports these incentives which decrease operating costs, support the province’s growing LNG sector and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett. “With the expansion of FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG facility now underway, I look forward to seeing more agreements like this in the months and years ahead.”
The funding agreement with Seaspan will result in the reduction of an estimated 5,450 metric tonnes per year of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking more than 1,140 passenger cars off the road annually, because natural gas is cleaner burning than traditional marine diesel fuel. Seaspan has also agreed to a fuelling agreement of up to 200,000 gigajoules of LNG per year which will come from FortisBC’s Tilbury LNG facility in Delta.
“B.C. has more natural gas fuelled vehicles in our province as a result of this incentive program than anywhere else in Canada,” said Doug Stout, FortisBC Vice-President of Market Development and External Relations. “The funding for these two marine vessels helps add to that tally, and it’s further good news that Seaspan has chosen to get its LNG from FortisBC.”
To date, the incentive program has resulted in 400 natural gas vehicles on the road or vessels in the water, eliminating 38,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions annually, the equivalent of taking 8,000 vehicles off the road each year. Additionally, FortisBC has signed agreements for $28 million in incentive funding for land vehicles and marine vessels.
In 2014, Seaspan Ferries began shipping LNG in ISO containers from FortisBC’s Tilbury facility for use by natural gas for transportation customers on Vancouver Island.
(Source: FortisBC)
