Canada gives OK to LNG exports

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CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A Canadian regulator said it approved an application by energy company LNG Canada to ship natural gas from a proposed export terminal in British Columbia.

The independent National Energy Board said it approved the 25-year export license for LNG Canada Development Inc. for a terminal near Kitimat, British Columbia, for the eventual export of liquefied natural gas.

"In approving the application, the board satisfied itself that the quantity of gas to be exported does not exceed the surplus remaining after due allowance has been made for the reasonably foreseeable requirements for use in Canada, having regard to the trends in the discovery of gas in Canada," the NEB said in a statement.

LNG Canada under the terms is the deal is authorized to export about 3.23 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the terminal over the life of the license agreement.

LNG Canada, a consortium led by Shell that includes Asian partners, applied for the permit in July. An export terminal near Kitimat would help deliver natural gas as early as 2020.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has courted Asian economies to his country's energy sector.