October 2010 Vol. 237 No. 10

Projects

Canada To Train Aboriginal People To Work On Pacific Trail Pipeline Project

Canada’s federal government has announced $US9 million in funding for the Pacific Trail Pipeline Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership Project.

The project will help prepare 600 Aboriginal people in British Columbia for employment opportunities through the construction and operation of the Pacific Trail natural gas pipeline, also known as the Kitimat-Summit Lake Natural Gas Pipeline Looping (KSL) project.

The KSL project entails the construction of 463 km of up to 36-inch pipeline and associated compression facilities at a cost of US$1.2 billion. It will provide up to 1 Bcf/d of natural gas primarily for Kitimat LNG Inc.’s proposed LNG export terminal that will ultimately be connected with the Spectra Energy gas transmission system at Summit Lake, which is north of Prince George.

The pipeline is a 50/50 joint venture between Kitimat LNG’s owner, Galveston LNG Inc., and Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. Construction is planned to start in 2012 for completion in 2014 when the proposed LNG terminal is expected to begin operation.

Commenting on the training for the Aboriginal people, Ernst Poschenrieder, vice president, Pacific Trail Pipeline Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership Training Society said, “The challenge for First Nations surrounding employment creation in the past has been that the training received doesn’t always fit the labor demand. With the Pacific Trail Pipeline construction, we can target specific training to specific jobs and thereby focus our efforts very sharply.”