Woodfibre LNG is moving to expand the approved boundary of its liquefied natural gas export facility currently under construction near Squamish.
The company filed an application on March 5, 2026 to lease additional Crown land and a submerged water lot in Howe Sound, adding roughly 2.5 hectares of water area and 0.3 hectares of land to its Certified Project Area (CPA). The expansion was triggered by a quantified risk assessment that identified the need for stronger safety and security buffers around the facility.
Woodfibre LNG said in its application that no new construction or industrial activities are planned for the expanded areas. The water lot will be used primarily for fisheries surveys and will form part of a marine safety zone marked by buoys. The land portion may receive fencing or signage to identify it as part of the project area.
The company says it sent a letter to eleven First Nations groups ahead of the application, including the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and Musqueam Indian Band, outlining their intent and rational behind the expanded CPA. Tsleil-Waututh Nation met directly with Woodfibre LNG in February 2026, indicating it had no concerns with the proposal. No other nations commented on the plan when the application was submitted.
The project, which began construction in Fall 2023 on the former Woodfibre Pulp Mill site, is designed to produce approximately 2.1 million metric tonnes of LNG per year once operational. The site has no road access and relies entirely on marine transport through Howe Sound. As of May 25, Woodfibre says it is over 65 per cent complete and is expected to be finish in 2027.
The company holds an LNG export licence for up to 40 years and has said any decisions about continued operation beyond that period would be made in consultation with Indigenous groups and regulatory agencies.
Stop Woodfibre LNG from polluting HoweSound.
This is a great project that people in BC should be proud of. Woodfibre will be providing clean energy to countries that need it around the world.
Hi Jason,
I wonder why you say Woodfibre LNG will provide clean energy. Could you please explain?
@Jason The project is impressive from an engineering standpoint no doubt. But in no way is LNG (methane) clean energy. Every step of its extraction, transport, and use pollutes in some way. The small amount that leaks out during drilling has a profound affect on the atmosphere, for example. WLNG is going to keep changing and expanding this project well beyond what they originally described. It may (NB “may”) benefit the Canadian economy in the short term but it does almost nothing for Squamish and it’s frankly ridiculous that we’re going ahead with any of these facilities in 2026. Canada could do so much better.
@Jason, I agree with @Mike. I’ll add a bit more:
1. WFLNG Corporate ownership is structured so that Woodfibre LNG may never declare a profit in Canada—instead, profits can flow offshore to Singapore and/or offshore tax havens to avoid our taxes. We can’t count on taxes for roads, schools, hospitals from WFLNG.
2. Companies owned by the Sukanto Tanoto (the majority owner of WFLNG) have a history of massive tax evasion, as well as human rights abuses, exploitive child labour, animal rights violation, and environmental destruction in Singapore and Indonesia.
3. WFLNG is taking Squamish to court over property taxes. WFLNG wants to pay substantially less than the normal rate.
4. WFLNG will be supplied with gas by a Fortis pipeline. For the last year, Fortis’s pollution from this construction has blatantly exceeded the small amount they are legally allowed to emit into Howe Sound. The “regulator’s” advice to Fortis is to request that the present pollution be legally allowed.