Pacific Future Energy officially cancels refinery project in British Columbia, Canada
Pacific Future Energy has officially cancelled its proposal to build a refinery on the West Coast of Canada aimed at exporting refined petroleum products to Asia. The project was designed to transport bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to a refinery in northwestern British Columbia where the crude would be processed into products like diesel, gasoline and jet fuel for export. CEO Samer Salameh informed the federal government in December that the company was terminating its application, confirming that the refinery project near Kitimat would not move forward.
The company had originally proposed the refinery in 2016 and received support from high-profile figures, including former Conservative cabinet minister Stockwell Day and Indigenous leaders Shawn Atleo and Ovide Mercredi. Despite initial backing, the project faced strong opposition from environmentalists, local First Nations, and groups like the SkeenaWild Conservation Trust. The plan aimed to use a specialized form of bitumen that would reduce spill risks in case of an accident, but environmental concerns, particularly over oil spills, persisted.
The decision to cancel the project follows years of regulatory delays and a shift in Canada’s environmental review process with the introduction of the Impact Assessment Act in 2019. After several requests for clarification, the federal government confirmed that the environmental assessment was officially halted. If Pacific Future Energy revives the proposal in the future, it would need to submit a new application under the updated regulations. This marks the end of a project that had once promised to process 200,000 barrels of oil daily but faced significant opposition and regulatory hurdles throughout its life.
The announcement of the project's canellation was first detailed by The Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-bc-company-cancels-plans-to-build-oil-refinery-for-fuel-exports-to/
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