Fourth year of Inland Gas Upgrades Project brings more benefits

Jun 19, 2023

SURREY, B.C.—June 19, 2023: FortisBC Energy Inc. (“FortisBC”) will soon be starting its fourth year of construction on the Inland Gas Upgrades (“IGU”) Project. In 2023 we are working on several Pressure Regulating Stations (PRS) throughout our system. These stations can be found safely operating throughout our service territory and help us regulate the pressure of gas so it can be safely moved through the system and delivered to homes and businesses.

Other work associated with the five-year-long project includes replacing some gas lines and upgrading others to use up to date in-line inspection equipment. This equipment will provide detailed information about the condition of each line, which will help us to better plan and manage maintenance work.

In 2023, we will be working in nine communities throughout the province. In the:

• Northern Interior, we will be returning to work in Prince George.
• Central Interior, we will be installing a Pressure Regulating Station in Williams Lake.
• East Kootenay region, we will be returning to work in Kimberley and Sparwood.
• West Kootenay region, we will be starting work in Castlegar and Trail.
• Thompson-Okanagan, we will be completing our gas line upgrade in Kamloops and commencing new work in Vernon and Kelowna.

The IGU Project continues to uphold its commitment to providing social and economic benefits to B.C. communities. In 2022, the project spent approximately $56 million through commitments to 145 B.C.-based businesses (compared to $38.5 million to 190 B.C.-based businesses in 2021); and contracted $12.7 million worth of goods and services from 102 vendors local to the communities where the IGU Project worked.

Through targeted procurement, training and employment efforts we have continued to provide opportunities for local and Indigenous-owned businesses year-over-year. For example, in 2022 the project expended approximately $9.8 million to Indigenous-owned or affiliated vendors local to where we worked compared to $9.3 million in 2021, and $750,000 in 2020 during the early stages of the project.

To learn more about the Inland Gas Upgrades project and work in a specific community, 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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