Woodfibre LNG details flaring plans at Squamish open house

FIRST PUBLISHED: Oct., 4, 2026

Squamish residents gathered at the Executive Suites to learn about the environmental impacts of the Woodfibre LNG facility’s upcoming commissioning phase.

Air emissions, flaring specifically, from the Woodfibre LNG (WLNG) facility is a literal hot topic.

Woodfibre LNG is applying to the BC Energy Regulator (BCER) for a Waste Discharge Authorization (WDA) permit for air emissions from its export facility, including from flaring.

The application process includes a public comment period that will open once the application is submitted.

The plan is for the application to be submitted by the fourth quarter of this year.

As an environmental regulator on the project, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) is involved during the permit development and will continue to be a regulator as it moves forward.

Flaring was discussed at the WLNG open house on Oct. 1, held at the Executive Suites Hotel and Resort.

Discussion points included why WLNG deems flaring necessary, how flaring supports the facility's operation, and the pending commissioning process.

At the time The Squamish Chief visited the open house, about 60 to 70 people were rotating along a circle of information boards.

Woodfibre LNG representatives and data experts were stationed alongside the boards to address individual concerns and queries.

Where and what?

At the facility, air emissions will be produced from flaring, the thermal oxidizer (which uses high heat to incinerate acid gas and other waste components), the heat medium furnace (which heats liquid distributed throughout the facility), the electric compressors, and LNG carriers and tugboats.

Flaring, set to begin during WLNG’s commissioning (facility start up and testing phase) in 2027, is the controlled burning of a facility’s excess natural gas to maintain operational system pressure and safety conditions.

When natural gas is flared, it burns with oxygen to produce mostly carbon dioxide and water; everything else is a "trace byproduct" of the combustion process, reads one of the boards at the open house.

Flaring also releases less greenhouse emissions than would otherwise be released with venting, the company states.

When will there be flaring?

Flaring will be most prevalent during the six to eight months of commissioning, occurring several days a week during that period.

After the first cargo, during the stabilizing of operations, lasting about two years, flaring will decrease.

By three years after commissioning, flaring will become much less frequent—less than once a month.

According to the company, pollution from flaring will involve the release of small amounts of combustion byproducts like nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, and soot.

There will also be a slight increase in light and noise. Affected areas will be Darrell Bay, Stá7mes, Squamish, Furry Creek, and Britannia Beach.

Flaring is one of the more controversial aspects of the LNG project, with many locals concerned about its impact.

One concern is black smoke. This happens when there is a higher amount of particulate matter released, and is a result of incomplete combustion.

During unplanned flaring, black smoke is regulated to only be allowed for 15 minutes within a two-hour period. Beyond that it is considered non-compliance.

The company says while black smoke can’t be avoided completely, the frequency is being reduced as much as possible by the flare’s design.

For example, the high-pressure flare has a multi-nozzle flare tip that helps maintain strong gas-air mixing across different flow rates. This is designed to encourage more complete burning of gas, reducing the likelihood of black smoke, according to the company.

Communities will be notified in advance when it is going to occur.

From its modelling for the WDA application, Woodfibre LNG says it found that air pollution levels in nearby communities are expected to remain below B.C.’s Air Quality Objectives.

Under the permit, Woodfibre LNG must continue monitoring air quality both at the facility and in the surrounding area.

Data will be made available via the BC Ministry of Environment and Parks website.

WLNG staff repeatedly said at the open house that WLNG’s goal was to minimize flaring, and gas would be recycled as much as possible.

How will the flaring look, sound, and smell for residential communities?

The company said that nearby residents are already exposed to more emissions from everyday local sources, like vehicles and home heating, than they would be from the flaring at the WLNG facility.

As for noise during flaring, the largest increase would be at Britannia Beach by six decibels, the equivalent to “the low hum of a fridge compressor.”

Flaring will cause a 2.5 dB increase in noise in Squamish and Stá7mes.

The flare stack will have a small—likely not noticeable from a distance—constant pilot flame. Flames during flaring events are expected to be up to 60 metres (200 feet), or up to 90 metres (300 feet) in the rare event of an emergency.

For light, the flame would be most visible from Britannia Beach at 5.4 lux (a typical street light is 10-15 lux). In Squamish, the flame during flaring could be visible at 3.4 lux and 1.3 lux in Furry Creek.

There is permanent aviation lighting for the 134-metre flare stack, as required by Transport Canada.

Odours from flaring (similar to those of a car exhaust) are not anticipated in residential communities, only closer to the facility.

What about wildlife?

WLNG acknowledges flaring involves periods of visible flame, light, noise and heat “which could be noticeable to wildlife in the surrounding area. Birds, bats, fish, bears, deer and other terrestrial mammals and marine mammals will be subject to these impacts.

Woodfibre LNG says its goal is to schedule flaring where possible for the times expected to have the least impact on wildlife. It will also make regular site inspections for injured or deceased animals, evaluate marine mammal observations and noise effects and record bat and bird interactions with the flare stack. The monitoring results will be used to adapt plans.

‘Very little trust’

My Sea to Sky executive director Tracey Saxby, who was at the open house, shared her sentiments regarding the extension of the facility’s commissioning period.

“Woodfibre has not been truthful or forthcoming with how much the facility will be flaring,” she said.

“This project was approved on a false premise, misinformation, and gross underestimations of how much the facility would be polluting nearby communities.”

WLNG had proposed in 2015 that the start up and commissioning period would last three to four weeks, and last up to three or four days at any one time during that month, according to the Planned and Emergency Flaring supplemental report.

The 2015 report  also said flaring would occur at the plant during emergency shutdowns as well as during “operational controlled situations.”

WLNG’s director of communications, Sean Beardow, said the company was being forthright. 

“We're being very forthright about the fact that during the commissioning phase there's going to be more flaring. It's going to happen for longer. It's going to happen more frequently,” said Beardow. 

Saxby also said that she has “very little trust” that the BC Energy Regulator (BCER) will protect public health, citing the impact of the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat, and the granting of the amended waste discharge permit to FortisBC for the Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline Project at Átl'ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound), allowing the company to release more effluent into the water.

Saxby’s concerns related to emissions potentially surpassing a compliance threshold, and that BCER will take steps to mitigate the situation rather than shut down the facility entirely. If, for example, the emission of black smoke exceeds 15 minutes within two hours.

“There is no example of them forcing the industry to shut down when they exceed their permits, even if they are causing harm to nearby communities,” Saxby said of BCER.

Beardow said the company expected concerned questions from attendees at the open house.

“I find it really encouraging, the number of people who have come out tonight. Some people have some strong feelings, and that's fine. We're here to answer those questions and be transparent with folks," he said. 

Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter.

This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.

By Ina Pace and Jennifer Thuncher, The Squamish Chief | Copyright 2026, The Squamish Chief. All rights reserved.