While proponents are hopeful that the approval process will be accelerated, it’s unclear how exactly the B.C. Energy Regulator will expedite approval.
The B.C. government has trumpeted plans to fast-track 18 major projects as a way to support local jobs and investment and combat U.S. tariffs.
But will these projects, which have a combined price of $20 billion, be built any faster?
Not necessarily, according to a Postmedia News analysis.
While proponents hope the approval process will be accelerated, it’s unclear how exactly the B.C. Energy Regulator will expedite approval. For example, the North Coast Transmission full build-out remains slated for 2032, and all the projects are still subject to review. The transmission line is meant to provide electricity for mining, port expansion and liquefied natural gas plants.
Also, without early and meaningful First Nations engagement, streamlined review processes are unlikely to deliver real improvements, he said.
Hanna said it’s encouraging to see that many of the “fast-track” projects have partnerships with First Nations.
But not all the fast-track projects have unanimous First Nation support.
Ultimately, the real question should be what aspects of permitting require scrutiny, and what site-specific data is actually necessary, said Hanna, including, for example, whether a lengthy review is needed for every aspect of every single wind farm given that impacts are predictable.
“A more tailored approach to reviews and approvals could ensure that oversight is both efficient and effective, focusing on what truly matters rather than defaulting to standardized, time-consuming assessments,” said Hanna.
Adrian Dix, minister of energy and climate solutions, said the effort to expedite projects is being taken on multiple fronts that include speeding up the pace of permitting that takes place after a project receives environmental approval and working in partnership with First Nations.
He said that legislation was coming this spring to formalize the “one-window” review for the wind projects and the transmission line to the North Coast, saying there may be broader legislative changes to expedite projects.
Asked if the government was setting goals or estimating how much faster, for example, the North Coast power line could get to construction, Dix said, absolutely, yes.
“We’re going to have more to say on that, I hope, fairly soon,” he said Thursday.
He noted that construction jobs will come first, and that more projects, including those not in the resource sector, will be added to the fast-track list.
For the North Coast Transmission Line, B.C. Hydro officials say they’re continuing discussions with First Nations and are reviewing project planning to identify potential ways to speed up the schedule, but didn’t say the project could be expedited.
In a written statement, company officials said the timely approval of permits still needed for roads, land access and tree-clearing will ensure the project hits its timelines.
Galina Meleger, Skeena’s vice-president of investor relations, says being on the fast-track list doesn’t materially change its timelines.
However, she said it does provide a level of confidence that the government is “actually on their side,” and that staffing and resources will be provided to move projects through assessments.
“I think it’s one of the strings that governments can pull to offset the impacts, for example, with the tariffs, and what we’re seeing in general in the economy,” said Meleger.
If all goes as best as it can, approval could come by the fall, with a final investment decision to follow, she said.
The $713 million project would employ about 800 people during two years of construction and another 800 during its planned 12 years of mine life, followed by three years of reclamation.
Eskay Creek is one of two mining projects where the Tahltan Nation have sign-off approval as part of the assessment process.
The project has also not completed the environmental assessment process and Newmont has yet to make a final investment decision pending approval and the completion of a feasibility study.
There are projects that aren’t on the “fast-track” list.
The company already has environmental approval for Phase 2, but hasn’t made a final investment decision yet.
Dix said the Phase 2 project wasn’t on the list because it wasn’t a regulatory issue, but that is true of other projects as well, including the “energy security” projects that already have environmental assessment approval.
In a written response, Teresa Waddington, LNG Canada’s vice-president of corporate relations, said a final investment decision will hinge on elements such as overall competitiveness, affordability, pace, and future greenhouse gas emissions.
Waddington noted that permitting activities can continue well after a project has received government approvals necessary to proceed with construction.