Stornoway’s Renard diamond mine, located approximately 1400km north of Montreal, is scheduled to get liquefied natural gas (LNG) thanks to the Quebec government’s plan of deploying its 2030 Energy Policy and the Northern Plan.
The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Northern Plan, Pierre Arcand, and the President and CEO of Gaz Métro, Sophie Brochu, recently announced, with the Vice-president and COO of Stornoway, Patrick Godin, and with representatives of Investissement Québec, a major milestone in supplying (LNG) to Northern Québec, and to the Stornoway Renard diamond mine in the Otish Mountains.
It is the first Québec mining company that Gaz Métro GNL, a subsidiary of Gaz Métro, will supply with LNG.
"Today we would like to draw attention to a landmark project for Québec," said Minister Arcand. "Natural gas is a profitable transition energy that will play an important role during the next few decades in supporting the economic development and competitiveness of our companies, particularly those in Northern Plan territory. Our government made clear commitments when making the 2030 Energy Policy public, in part to ensure that Québec companies have reliable, secure and stable access to natural gas wherever there is demand and profit. This is a great example, and I can assure you that we are continuing our efforts to improve the natural gas supply in Québec."
"With Gaz Métro LNG's supply of natural gas, companies now have access to cleaner, higher performance energy that offers substantial energy gains," said Pierre Gabriel Côté, President and CEO of Investissement Québec. "This access is not only an advantage for local companies, but also a major asset for the competitiveness of Québec on the international scene, by helping attract foreign investments that are strategic for our economy. And for Investissement Québec, it's a win-win announcement because we are shareholders in both Gaz Métro LNG and Stornoway."
"For a number of years, Gaz Métro has wanted to supply natural gas to regions located far from its gas network, particularly Northern Québec, so as to offer them access to a driver of economic development that is cleaner than oil," said Sophie Brochu, president and CEO of Gaz Métro. "Stornoway has made the Renard mine a concrete example of an innovative mining project that is giving Québec visibility in the mining world. By opting for natural gas rather than diesel to run its power plant, Stornoway is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 43% and significantly reducing its emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SOx), proof of the impact that choosing LNG can have. The start of delivery of LNG to the Renard mine is the result of the vision, leadership and expertise of all our teams at Gaz Métro, Stornoway and the transporter Servitank, to implement solutions for delivering LNG over such a long distance. Road service is a proven, safe and flexible solution, which is the most appropriate way to serve regions that are a long way from the gas network."
In fall 2014, with the Government of Québec and Investissement Québec, Gaz Métro announced a project to expand its Montréal liquefaction, storage and regasification plant to meet needs for regions that are remote from the gas network, particularly Northern Québec and the Côte-Nord, but also for the road and maritime transport markets. Through Investissement Québec, the Government of Québec took a $50 million stake in the Gaz Métro subsidiary, Gaz Métro LNG, which is responsible for this expansion project and for marketing liquefied natural gas.
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