Inland Gas Upgrades Project nears completion in fifth year of construction

Jun 24, 2024

SURREY, B.C.—June 24, 2024: FortisBC Energy Inc. (FortisBC) has commenced with its fifth and anticipated final year of construction on the Inland Gas Upgrades (IGU) Project. Construction of the IGU Project began in 2020, and by year’s end, will have resulted in upgrading 29 sections of our existing natural gas lines throughout inland regions of B.C.

This year, we will be conducting new gas line upgrades and continuing upgrades from earlier years that will allow the use of in-line inspection tools, which are used to examine gas lines internally as a form of preventative maintenance. This equipment will provide detailed information about the condition of each line which will help us to better plan and manage maintenance work.

Other upgrades include replacing and decommissioning small sections of gas line as well as completing or adding pressure regulating stations (PRS) throughout our service territory. These stations help us regulate the pressure of gas so that it can be moved safely through the system and delivered to homes and businesses.

In 2024, we will be working in eight communities across four regions throughout the province. In the:

• Northern Interior, we will be returning to work in Prince George for multiple PRS upgrades and a gas line replacement, as well as decommissioning a small section of gas line in Mackenzie.
• Central Interior, we will be returning to Williams Lake to complete work on a new PRS.
• East Kootenays, we will be resuming work on our gas lines in Kimberley, Sparwood, and Cranbrook.
• Thompson-Okanagan, we will be starting new work on our gas lines in Armstrong and Enderby.

The IGU Project continues to uphold its commitment to providing social and economic benefits to B.C. communities. In 2023, the project spent approximately $23.8 million through commitments to 198 B.C.-based businesses and contracted $11.3 million worth of goods and services from 150 vendors local to the communities where the IGU Project worked, accounting for 75.8 per cent of all B.C.-based vendors.

Through targeted procurement, training, and employment efforts we have continued to provide opportunities for Indigenous-affiliated businesses year-over-year. For example, in 2023 the project spent approximately $9.6 million to 36 Indigenous-owned or affiliated vendors, representing 19 Indigenous Nations and marking a third consecutive year of more than $9 million spent accordingly ($9.8 million in 2022, $9.3 million in 2021). Moreover, 83.3 per cent of contracted Indigenous-affiliated businesses were local to the communities in which they worked.

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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