Environmentalists fear a 20-acre natural gas liquefaction plant proposed for somewhere in the Lower Mainland is a step toward a “crazy” fracking presence in B.C.

If approved, the plant could produce 100,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas per day as part of a joint venture involving Ferus Natural Gas Fuels and ENN Canada, a subsidiary of a Chinese company. A specific location has not yet been chosen.

Blaire Lancaster of Ferus said Vancouver was picked as the location for many reasons, including interest by BC Ferries in converting some ships to natural gas and for the amount of truck traffic through the region.

“The plants in Vancouver will specifically target the road transportation industry,” Lancaster said. “The other part of it is the marine industry.”

But Eoin Madden of the Wilderness Committee said he’s concerned the fuel will be used in equipment to increase the province’s output of fossil fuels to other nations.

“You’ve got to remember it’s from fracking, and fracking takes the hit the environment takes from gas up to coal levels,” said Madden.

Madden said he’s concerned the fuel will be used for trucks and equipment to expand LNG exploration and exportation.

“The machinery it will fuel will drive the crazy idea of building an enormous liquefied fracked gas facility all along our coastline,” Madden said.

Meanwhile, provincial Energy Minister Rich Coleman stressed the plant is only in the early stages, but supported the idea.

“If you can get into that liquefied activity versus the compressed natural gas you get a further range which can change the entire outlook in regards to natural gas as a fuel for transportation,” Coleman said.

Coleman was speaking to reporters in a phone conference during which he detailed plans by foreign investors to build LNG infrastructure in the province.

Photo: LNG carrier leaving an Australian terminal (Ken Hodge)