Thursday, May 27, 2010

Vancouver USA Port to Keep, Relocate LPG Facility

The three-member governing board for the Washington state Port of Vancouver approved a plan Tuesday that will relocate Alberta, Canada-based natural gas distributor Keyera Energy Co., and keep the firm's facility at the port.

The port board approved a nearly $984,000 contract that will allow Keyera to relocate its current liquefied propane gas storage and transfer facility to a four-acre parcel just north of the port's Terminal 5 rail loop.

The contract will cover the extension of utilities to the new site as well as additional development construction to prepare for Keyera's move. The move will see the construction of a storage tank farm at the new location consisting of three 80,000-gallon liquid propane tanks, fueling facilities, and office and work buildings.

Product at the new facility will arrive by rail and be distributed by truck.

Work on the relocation is expected to begin within the next two weeks and be completed by the end of the summer.

Port officials said that keeping Keyera in the port will save three to four jobs at the facility and another 20 to 30 indirect jobs that are dependent on the facility.

In addition, the new location near the port's nearly completed $14 million Terminal 5 rail loop will provide Keyera with better rail access.

Keyera signed a $3.4 million 20-year lease with the port in February making it the first firm to sign on as a tenant of the new Terminal 5, former site of the Alcoa-Evergreen aluminum facility.