The Ridley Island Export Logistics Project (RIELP) has reached a major milestone, according to the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA), with the receiving of its final determination on the Federal environmental effects evaluation review.
In line with Section 82 of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), the Federal Authorities have stated that the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project is unlikely to have significant adverse environmental impacts. This concludes the federal environmental review procedure, which is needed for the Federal Authorities to evaluate the project’s mandatory authorisations.
Prince Rupert port stated that early work is scheduled to commence in early March, following the receiving of necessary permits, with tree clearance and site preparatory activities. PRPA is working with its business partners to reach a Final Investment Decision on the project, which is anticipated later this year.
According to a statement, the export logistics complex, which is planned for the southern end of Ridley Island, will be an interconnected ecosystem of large-scale bulk and breakbulk transload facilities, an intermodal rail yard, and a container storage yard.
Meanwhile, the development will create an innovative and competitive trans-loading facility for commodities such as plastic pellets, cereal grains, agriculture crops, lumber, and pulp to be loaded directly from rail into containers for export, resulting in 400,000 TEUs of export capacity, in a first phase.
Noted by the Port Authority, the environmental benefits of the export logistics project include the densification of transload activities into a single location on Ridley Island to minimise land impacts, and proximity to Fairview Container Terminal via the dedicated Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor to minimise container truck movements and emissions while maximising rail usage on a common infrastructure.
