New Brunswick’s Holt government says it held regular talks throughout the summer with Repsol and TC Energy on a Saint John LNG export plan, with Natural Resources Minister John Herron calling it “more than just a concept” but still in “nascent stages.”
Herron argues Saint John is “the most probable location” for an East Coast export project given “pre-existing LNG infrastructure” and pipeline connections, adding “there is no other location in the country that would be more ready.”
The provincial pitch would extend existing mainline gas infrastructure around 300 kilometres east from Quebec City into New Brunswick, then tie into the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline to supply an expanded Repsol Saint John LNG terminal for exports to Europe. In parallel, Canadian gas would traverse roughly 4,000 kilometres from the Empress receipt point in Alberta to the Dawn hub in Ontario, with a pre-existing line carrying volumes as far as Quebec City.
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Herron says parts of that corridor likely require looping to add capacity, including on the stretch from Dawn toward Quebec City. He also flagged a prerequisite: a firm supply to justify terminal expansion has to be put in place “before a company like Repsol would consider doing just that.”
While Repsol has not commented on the talks, TC Energy said it “regularly evaluates energy infrastructure opportunities across North America,” would not discuss “specific commercial discussions,” and welcomes federal statements in Germany as “a great step in the right direction.”
In early 2023, Repsol said a Saint John LNG export conversion was “unviable” because “the overall costs to ship the gas to our terminal are too high.” New Brunswick contends federal policy and market signals now differ, with European demand and Ottawa’s expedited nation-building approvals program improving the odds.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Energy Minister Tim Hodgson promoted Canadian LNG to Europe and said Ottawa will “begin discussions regarding the supply of LNG to German buyers.”
“Unlike the previous Canadian government, which closed the door to LNG exports, Prime Minister Carney’s government has opened it,” Hodgson said.
Ottawa also spotlighted the Port of Churchill as a potential LNG route, but New Brunswick officials maintain Saint John is the feasible near-term option.
Herron sees a North American race to supply Europe, with large-scale US Gulf Coast capacity expected online in three to four years. To compress timelines he floated a federal, potentially “state owned” pipeline—built with Indigenous ownership—that a private operator could purchase on completion, citing TC Energy’s CFE partnership in Mexico as a model.
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