[2] The Final Investment Decision for the LNG Canada project has been considered a significant step not only for Canada's energy industry but also for the global LNG industry, as natural gas, including its liquefied form, is being used more and more extensively to fuel power plants, petrochemical plants and natural gas distribution pipelines to homes and offices, as well as to fuel various transport modes such as ocean shipping.

The first phase of the project includes a $6.2 billion Coastal GasLink Pipeline through northern British Columbia, which will be built and operated by TC Energy (formerly TransCanada Corporation).

Coastal GasLink will be a 670-kilometre (420 mi) gas pipeline with an initial capacity of about 2.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/day) with the potential for expansion of up to approximately 5 Bcf/day.

A potential controversy in connection with this large construction project is the level of customs duties that will be applied by Canada on any import of foreign manufactured steel modules, especially from China.

[6] As for any energy mining, transportation, storage and export project of this magnitude, there are numerous potential impacts on the atmosphere, on land, and at sea, which have started to be debated both within Kitimat and British Columbia, as well as in Canada at large.

[9] Through a combination of energy efficient natural gas turbines and renewable electricity from BC Hydro, the project is expected to emit less than half the GHG emissions of the average LNG facility currently in operation worldwide, and is being called "best in class."

LNG industry through training programs, direct employment, contracting and purchasing of goods and services from BC and Canadian companies.

[15] These figures do not include the additional employment and business generated by the construction and operation of the Coastal GasLink project, which will deliver natural gas to the LNG facility.