Construction resuming this summer on regional energy infrastructure upgrades

May 26, 2021

Surrey, B.C. – May 26, 2021:  FortisBC Energy Inc. (“FortisBC”) will soon be starting its second year of construction on the Inland Gas Upgrades project, one of the company’s widest-spanning projects to date. This work includes upgrades taking place over five years across 18 communities throughout the Northern, Cariboo, Thompson-Okanagan and Kootenay regions of British Columbia.

In 2021 we will be working in a total of seven communities throughout the province. We will be returning to work for a second year in the areas of Cranbrook, Sparwood and Mackenzie. We will also begin working in new locations in, or near, Prince George, Kimberley, Skookumchuck and Elkford. We anticipate preparation activities will begin in June in most areas with construction taking place throughout the summer into fall.

The Inland Gas Upgrades project involves upgrading sections of our existing gas line infrastructure to allow the use of “in-line inspection” tools to get detailed information about the interior condition of each line. Construction activity includes reducing bends in pipes and replacing fittings so that tools can move through the gas line. This up-to-date in-line inspection technology will support planning and management of proactive maintenance work.

Work will primarily be taking place in rural areas on existing FortisBC rights-of-way with limited public impacts. In some locations, people may see crews temporarily working alongside highways or public roads within a community. When appropriate, we will have traffic control personnel working to safely direct motorists, cyclists or pedestrians through the area.

FortisBC is committed to supporting those communities where the Inland Gas Upgrades project is taking place. In 2020 we did this through community investment, supporting training opportunities and hiring local businesses. In fact, we contracted 89 British Columbia-based suppliers for the project last year – over half of which were local to the three communities where we worked. This equates to $1.7 million of local expenditure – of which 44 per cent was to Indigenous suppliers. We look forward to supporting new communities and opportunities as this project progresses in the years ahead.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, FortisBC’s primary goal is to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, contractors, and surrounding communities. We expect everyone working on this project to respect safety plans and strictly follow Ministry of Health orders and guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at our worksites.

To learn more about the Inland Gas Upgrades project please visit the project webpage at www.talkingenergy.ca/inland. Alternatively, interested parties can connect with us at 1-855-576-7225 or by email at [email protected].

 

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