The British Columbia government has allowed the continued construction of a long-delayed 900-kilometre liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline despite opposition from several groups, including environmental activists. 

In a move that has given the decade-old project a new chance, the B.C government ruled that the pipeline project had started “substantially” by last year’s deadline, allowing construction to proceed 

Known as the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project, the natural gas pipeline is being jointly developed by Texas-based gas transmission giant Western LNG and the Nisga'a Nation. 

If completed, the pipeline could transport gas to the Ksi Lisims LNG export facility, a proposed floating export terminal off the coast of B.C. 

The pipeline was initially proposed to begin in Hudson's Hope in northeastern B.C. and terminate at Lelu Island, near Prince Rupert. However, the proponents revised the route to avoid potential interference with the caribou habitat. 

As a result, the update pipeline route began at Chetwynd, with an alternative terminus at Wil Milit on Pearse Island, approximately 82 kilometers north of Port of Prince Rupert, bringing it closer to the proposed Ksi Lisims LNG facility, anticipated to produce 12 million tonnes of LNG annually. 

The push to construct the associated pipeline comes amid the heightening interest in building commercial LNG export terminals. These terminals would be critical for helping Canada diversify its energy industry and achieve independence from the U.S. market, which it has heavily relied on for many decades. 

Despite its perceived future value in helping Canada gain economic independence from the United States, the project has faced fierce opposition from many groups, including environmental activists and Gitanyow hereditary chiefs who argue that the project would be devastating to the environment, including critical salmon habitat.

However, B.C. Premier David Eby has defended the approval of the LNG pipeline, arguing that the Ksi Lisims project is an indigenous group-led, which would have a significant economic benefit to the region. 

"The Ksi Lisims project is an Indigenous-owned project led by the Nisga'a Nation. They are a treaty nation that has control over their jurisdiction," Eby said while addressing the issue from Seoul, South Korea, where he’s currently wrapping up a 10-day trade mission to Asia. 

The now-famous pipeline was initially approved for construction in 2014 under TC Energy Corp, a Calgary-based energy giant. It was to supply gas to the now-cancelled Pacific NorthWest LNG terminal, which was to be spearheaded by Petronas, a leading Malaysian energy giant. 

However, in 2014, it was purchased by an indigenous group, the Nisga'a Nation, under the new Ksi Lisims LNG facility proposal.