Petronas abandons Canadian LNG
British Columbia's gas export dreams took another hit with the axing of the Pacific NorthWest project
When Petronas, Malaysia's national oil company, first proposed a massive C$36bn ($28.64bn) liquefied natural gas project on Canada's west coast in 2012, it looked like a sure bet. Prospects for global LNG appeared bright and Canada, with abundant supplies of unconventional gas and declining exports to the US, seemed a logical choice for large-scale exports. Petronas enrolled high-profile buyers in Japan's Japex, China's Sinopec, Indian Oil Corporation, and PetroleumBrunei as partners in an ambitious consortium known as Pacific NorthWest. The idea was to export 3.2bn cubic feet of gas per day—or a fifth of Canada's daily output—from the British Columbia coast to energy-hungry markets in Asia.
Also in this section
13 February 2026
Artificial intelligence is pushing electricity demand beyond the limits of existing grids, increasing the role of gas and LNG in energy system planning as a fast, flexible solution
13 February 2026
Panellists at LNG2026 say demand growth will hinge less on the level of global supply and more on the pace of downstream buildout, policy clarity and bankable market frameworks
13 February 2026
The Middle Eastern gas giant and Asian energy heavyweight ink a 20-year landmark LNG agreement at LNG2026 in a significant step towards strengthening global energy partnership
13 February 2026
Coherence and conviction through trusted partnerships seen as underpinning risk management in order to spur further LNG growth, panellists at LNG2026 say
