NorthRiver’s Fort Nelson Gas Plant stops operations

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Operations have been suspended at a gas plant in Fort Nelson, and Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) Mayor Rob Fraser says employees have been told they might be laid off.

NorthRiver Midstream announced Monday that its Fort Nelson Gas Plant would be suspending operations immediately due to “a significant reduction in gas volumes being supplied by regional producers to the plant for processing.”

“I was informed that [the company] has given six months’ notice to their employees that they may be laid off,” Fraser says. “That still doesn’t mean that they’re shutting the plant in today, it just means that they’ve given notice.”

According to NorthRiver Midstream’s announcement, it’s been working for over a year with stakeholders to find a long-term solution to its low gas volume problem, and keep the plant running.

“Currently, NorthRiver has no future certainty on sustained area production as producers have provided notice that they do not intend to resume production that was shut in due to wildfires,” the announcement reads.

The announcement also says the plant is extremely important to the community, employing 42 union workers, six non-unionized employees, and helping supply Fort Nelson with natural gas and electricity services.

Mayor Fraser says the company wants to keep the facility open.

“I’m assured that they haven’t given up on the plant,” he says. “They’re going to be doing everything they can over the next six months to try to work with the producers, to work with the province, to make sure that gas plant continues to operate.”

NorthRiver’s announcement echoed similar sentiments, saying it plans to continue working with the province and local producers on solutions to “allow for gas processing to resume in due course.”

EnergeticCity.ca also contacted the unionized employee’s union for a statement. The union did not respond in time for publication.