FortisBC provides $5 million to help build two of Western Canada's first LNG marine vessels

Seaspan to fuel new ferries with up to 200,000 gigajoules of LNG per year from Tilbury facility

SURREY, BC, Nov. 28, 2014 /CNW/ - FortisBC announced today that it will provide $5 million in incentive funding toward two new vessels for Seaspan Ferries that will be able to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The incentives were made possible following the creation of the Government of B.C.'s Greenhouse Gas Reduction regulation in 2012 when FortisBC announced the $62 million program for fleet operators to offset part of the cost for a natural gas engine over a diesel engine.

"Our government supports these incentives which decrease operating costs, support the province's growing LNG sector and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett. "With the expansion of FortisBC's Tilbury LNG facility now underway, I look forward to seeing more agreements like this in the months and years ahead."

The funding agreement with Seaspan will result in the reduction of an estimated 5,450 metric tonnes per year of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking more than 1,140 passenger cars off the road annually, because natural gas is cleaner burning than traditional marine diesel fuel. Seaspan has also agreed to a fuelling agreement of up to 200,000 gigajoules of LNG per year which will come from FortisBC's Tilbury LNG facility in Delta.

"B.C. has more natural gas fuelled vehicles in our province as a result of this incentive program than anywhere else in Canada," said Doug Stout, FortisBC Vice-President of Market Development and External Relations. "The funding for these two marine vessels helps add to that tally, and it's further good news that Seaspan has chosen to get its LNG from FortisBC."

In 2014, Seaspan Ferries began shipping LNG in ISO containers from FortisBC's Tilbury facility for use by natural gas for transportation customers on Vancouver Island.

Seaspan is an association of Canadian companies involved in coastal marine transportation, shipdocking and ship escort, ship repair and shipbuilding services in Western North America. The two new 150 metre ferries will accommodate up to 59 truck trailers.

"Switching to LNG is a natural progression for us," said Steve Roth, Seaspan Ferries Corporation Vice-President. "Since two of Seaspan's core values are efficiency and care, we are extremely pleased that moving to LNG will both reduce fuel costs and provide environmental benefits. FortisBC provided the expertise to help us discover the best fuel alternative for our ferry fleet."

To date, the incentive program has resulted in 400 natural gas vehicles on the road or vessels in the water, eliminating 38,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions annually, the equivalent of taking 8,000 vehicles off the road each year. To date, FortisBC has signed agreements for $28 million in incentive funding for land vehicles and marine vessels.

To meet increased market demand for LNG, FortisBC has broken ground on a $400-million expansion of its Tilbury LNG facility in Delta which will add 1.1 million gigajoules of LNG storage and approximately 34,000 gigajoules of liquefaction capacity per day. The existing Tilbury LNG facility has been in operation since 1971.

The additional volumes of natural gas for transportation moving through FortisBC's pipeline system benefit all natural gas customers. Better year-round utilization of FortisBC's infrastructure, especially during the summer months when heating requirements are reduced, helps to keep natural gas delivery rates stable.

FortisBC is a regulated utility focused on providing safe and reliable energy, including natural gas, electricity and propane. FortisBC employs more than 2,200 British Columbians and serves approximately 1.1 million customers in 135 B.C. communities. FortisBC owns and operates two liquefied natural gas storage facilities and four regulated hydroelectric generating plants, approximately 7,150 kilometres of transmission and distribution power lines, and approximately 46,000 kilometres of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines. FortisBC Inc., FortisBC Energy Inc., FortisBC Energy (Vancouver Island) Inc., and FortisBC Energy (Whistler) Inc. do business as FortisBC. FortisBC is indirectly wholly owned by Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American electric and gas utility business. Fortis Inc. shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trade under the symbol FTS. Additional information can be accessed at www.fortisinc.com or www.sedar.com.

SOURCE FortisBC