B.C. energy regulator finds non-compliant black smoke flaring by LNG Canada

Wudang, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, fills up at an LNG Canada facility, in an aerial view, in Kitimat, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

The British Columbia Energy Regulator has issued an order to LNG Canada related to “black smoke flaring” after an inspection revealed at least two instances of non-compliance with the company’s permit for its facility in Kitimat.

The order says staff with the regulator conducted an inspection of the facility on B.C.’s northwest coast in February and found two instances of black smoke emissions, with one event lasting more than seven hours.

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The order says the company’s permit stipulates it must ensure flaring during normal operations doesn’t result in the emission of black smoke, or emission during “process upsets” that exceeds a total of 15 minutes in a two-hour period.

The order signed by Patrick Smook, vice-president for compliance and operations, says he found LNG Canada was not in compliance with its permit, and the company must fulfil certain reporting requirements starting April 22.

The regulator has also ordered the company to submit a report by Aug. 15 that identifies the root causes of the black smoke emission, along with measures to prevent it, and to implement those measures by Oct. 15.

The order follows the release of LNG Canada monthly air emissions reports that show flaring exceeded permitted volumes between last October and January.

The documents, obtained by University of Victoria air quality researcher Laura Minet under freedom of information proceedings, break down the flaring source into three categories: warm/wet, cold/dry and storage and loading.

Over those four months, warm/wet flares exceeded permitted volumes by 45 times on average, cold/dry by 40 times and storage and loading by five times.

A statement from an LNG Canada spokesperson in response to the release of the monthly emissions reports said increased flaring is normal during the facility’s early operations phase, but that it would reduce significantly in normal operations.

Natural gas is piped to the plant in Kitimat, B.C., and chilled into a liquid to be shipped in specialized tankers across the Pacific to Asian markets.

The Calgary-based company has posted seven community notifications about “unplanned flaring” to its website so far this month.

The latest bulletin said unplanned flaring on Tuesday resulted in a flare height of about 10 to 15 metres.

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It said a planned event would start Wednesday, resulting in intermittent flaring of about the same height and lasting about three to four days.

“Flaring is a provincially regulated safety measure that ensures the controlled, efficient combustion of natural gas during specific operational phases. It is a critical part of safely operating a facility of this scale and is not expected to be routine during regular operation,” LNG Canada said in the public notice.

Environmental and health-care advocates have raised concerns over the potential impacts of pollutants released through flaring. Publicly available air quality data has shown pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide have been consistently low over the past year, LNG Canada said in its earlier response.

— With files from Lauren Krugel

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2026.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press