SEPT/OCT 2014
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sector, and is “transforming from agricultural
to a community driven by the economic ben-
efits that come from this natural gas develop-
ment that’s occurring in the region.”
Natural gas, or the “unconventional re-
source” as Mayor Bumstead puts it, is the pro-
cess of developing the reserve through shale
gas – natural gas that is trapped within a shale
formation and drilled, allowing the gas to flow
naturally, and is a process different from the
old way of drilling a hole and pumping the gas
out. There are 18 LNG plant proposals for the
West Coast of B.C., each with a processing ca-
pacity of 1.6 to 3 billion cubic feet of natural
gas per day to ship across international waters.
“If there are three plants in the West coast
of B.C., you’re talking about 8-10 billion cubic
feet of gas that will be produced on a daily ba-
sis,” says Bumstead. Currently in the northeast
of B.C. there are 3.5 billion cubic feet of gas
proven reserves, though “we need to triple
the production of gas available. It’s enormous
the amount of potential that is coming from
this development.”
As a major investment and milestone for the
city, Dawson Creek will play host to the pro-
posed AltaGas LNG site – a domestic plant that
will be situated right in the heart of the city.
The major gas company has chosen the city
for the $22-million facility, and proposed the
LNG plant to improve the quality of life for the
Photo - Jeff Shea
