BC’s New Inland Ferry is Fake-Electric, When It Could Have Been Powered by BC LNG
“The NDP Government calling the new Kootenay Lake ferry ‘electric’ is a PR stunt. It’ll be running a diesel generator, but it should be fuelled by BC LNG”
–Harman Bhangu, Conservative MLA for Langley-Abbotsford & Official Opposition Critic for Transportation
VICTORIA, BC: Harman Bhangu, Conservative MLA for Langley-Abbotsford and Official Opposition Critic for Transportation, today called on the BC Government to expand the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for its inland ferry fleet, highlighting the environmental and economic advantages of using made-in-BC LNG.
“The provincial government missed a crucial opportunity by not building upon BC Ferries’ successful LNG-fuelled vessel program from 2020,” Bhangu said. “The Salish Class ferries built in NATO-ally Poland – not China – proved that LNG significantly cuts operating costs—reducing fuel expenses by approximately half compared to diesel—and greatly lowers emissions. Yet, instead of leveraging these proven benefits, inland ferries like the new Kootenay Lake vessel remain trapped in diesel dependency until at least 2030 due to a lack of necessary infrastructure.”
Bhangu noted that LNG not only offers substantial cost savings but also supports thousands of good-paying BC jobs. “We have a thriving LNG sector right here in British Columbia. Expanding the LNG ferry program would mean more jobs, more investment, and a cleaner environment for our communities. Instead, the government’s lack of planning and investment means diesel generators will pollute our environment unnecessarily for years. With diesel, there’s a risk of fuel spills and the cleanup costs, but with LNG, it evaporates since it’s a gas. Running the ferry on LNG would be a lot safer for the lake and the local wildlife.”
The Kootenay Lake ferry, despite being under construction to accommodate future electric conversion, will initially rely on diesel due to inadequate power supply, battery storage, and fast charging infrastructure in the region. This oversight, Bhangu argues, could have been avoided by implementing a proven, immediate solution like LNG.
“It’s about common-sense planning. Why are we building an electric ferry when there’s no fast charger at the terminal, not enough battery storage, and not enough power supply? The BC NDP Government is going to be strapping a diesel generator into the ferry and running it on diesel for years. If the NDP Government had some common sense, they could have built LNG ferries, using BC LNG as fuel, and it could’ve run off LNG from day one. FortisBC already has natural gas utility infrastructure running in the area around the Balfour ferry terminal. And LNG is about half the cost to run the ferry compared to diesel – this bad NDP decision making will cost the system a fortune in extra diesel fuel costs.”
“The NDP Government calling the Kootenay Ferry ‘electric’ is a PR stunt. It’ll be running a diesel generator, but it should be fuelled by BC LNG,” said MLA Bhangu.
“British Columbians deserve ferry services powered by clean, affordable, made-in-BC energy solutions. LNG checks every box—economically, environmentally, and locally. It’s time the government recognized that and put BC jobs and clean energy first.”
-30-
