The CEO of the company behind a proposed LNG facility in Guysborough Co. says preliminary work should start early in 2021.
Alfred Sorensen with Pierdae Energy Ltd., the proponent behind Goldboro LNG, says that includes installing water infrastructure, tearing up the ground for some of the site, and starting construction on a wharf.
Sorensen tells The Hawk it might seem like a slow pace, but they are where they expected to be.
“If you look at any of these major projects, 10 years is pretty well the minimum.”
The project was first announced in Oct. 2012.
Sorensen says construction is set to start in late 2022, and run for four-and-a-half years.
He says he expects the impact of COVID-19 will be fairly minor, considering the extended timeline of the project.
“In our scenario, we’ve gone through at least two very prolonged dips in energy prices.”
Sorensen says it might make it harder to get the funding required to start, but this type of project has plenty of time to make things work.
He says they expect to hire 4,500 workers during the project’s two peak building years, and 200 permanent jobs once the facility opens.
Sorensen says the projected cost of the project remains $10 billion (US).
