Trigon Pacific Terminals calls on Prince Rupert Port Authority to provide full and complete transparency on secret exclusivity deal

Prince Rupert, BC (May 2, 2024) – Trigon Pacific Terminals Ltd. (Trigon) is calling on the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) to provide full and transparent disclosure of the exclusivity deal it claims to have made for the REEF project.

In November 2023, PRPA denied Trigon’s request for consent to handle Canadian liquid petroleum gas (LPG) exports (also referred to as propane and butane), saying that it had provided exclusive rights to the REEF project. In doing so, the PRPA is restricting Canadian trade, facilitating a monopoly and – equally concerning – acting counter to its responsibilities under the Canada Marine Act.

Late last year, Trigon initiated legal proceedings against the PRPA to enforce its lease rights, following the PRPA’s decision to prevent Trigon from developing its own LPG project, which PRPA claims is affected by the secret exclusivity agreement.

Since then, Trigon has had to obtain a court order requiring PRPA to comply with its document production obligations, which remain incomplete, and has also successfully resisted an application by REEF LP to be added to the lawsuit.

“It is deeply disappointing that the PRPA as a public agency of the Government of Canada continues to try to hide the details of their deal, without putting the best interests of all Canadians first. Rather, let’s resolve this matter so we can make this export market more transparent and competitive,” said Rob Booker, Trigon’s CEO.

Trigon is confident – once the PRPA provides the relevant materials – that the lawsuit will be resolved in its favour, and has been advancing project planning for its LPG project with that in mind. Notwithstanding the dispute, Trigon has prepared and submitted its Project Description to the PRPA, has completed critical pre-FEED engineering and rail design works, and is in initial discussions with Trigon’s Indigenous owners and other Tsimshian communities about the project.

Trigon Pacific Terminals Limited is a multi-commodity bulk and liquefied gas export terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert. With a skilled workforce and proven operational excellence, it is a key link between Western Canadian commodity producers and their Asia-Pacific customers. Privately owned – with equity positions held by the Lax Kw’alaams and Metlakatla – Trigon is committed to transformational growth strategies aligned with global energy and climate-related imperatives.

NT6