Tidewater Midstream’s expansion taken up by City Council

Tidewater Midstream is looking to expand its site to accommodate a renewable diesel facility, and the land use was brought up in this week’s Prince George’s City Council meeting.

Residents concerned with the project, as well as representatives with Tidewater came to discuss the issue and answer the council’s questions for the first three readings of the topic.

Councillor Cori Ramsay asked about noise, air, and light pollution that residents near the project were concerned about.

Mike Millard, the General Manager at Tidewater Midstream said that best practices are being taken into consideration, and they aim to meet or exceed those guidelines.

“So as far as air pollution goes, the expansion will not be significantly impactful. There’s a small number of increased emissions, they’re combustion emissions from four new process sources, but relative to the existing emissions from the refinery are a 1-2% increase.”

Millard adds that they are always making upgrades to the facility and are trying to be more task-specific and have fewer off-site impacts.

“The renewable diesel facility, this has the potential to be the first of its kind in Canada. The fuel we would produce would have a significant benefit as far as the greenhouse gas emissions go for not just the fuel that’s consumed in the Prince George region, but all the central British Columbia region that we supply.”

Doctor Marie Hay, a retired pediatrician, said that residents in Prince George needed more information on the project as the emissions would affect the city.

“Only hydrogen plants that use renewable sources of energy, wind, air, and solar, are designated as actually green, and therefore sustainable. Do you know if Tidewater Midstream is proposing a green hydrogen plant?”

She added that she’s concerned that projects like this are not paying much attention to the health and wellness of residents.

Acting Director of Planning and Development Deanna Wasnick said that the proposal was for land use only and that the province would be in charge of the environmental steps that came next.

Wasnick added that there was no stipulation that the city would be given a report on the environmental impact of the project on the fourth and final reading that is slated for another date.