Report - Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale

Chapter 4 Territorial context of the project
Locating an LNG terminal is a process in which project feasibility and profitability
requirements as well as the capacity of prospective sites to host the project come into
play. In addition to describing the process that led the proponent to consider the Ville-
Guay sector, the Panel presents in this chapter the geographic, social, and economic
framework of the project. It addresses land use planning and landscape
considerations and then analyses the issues concerning the project’s integration in
the territorial context.
Site selection
The site selection process was conducted by the proponent. Having qualified access
to the ocean as a fundamental factor, the proponent sought out a site that provided an
adequate sea-to-land interface (i.e., satisfactory navigation and navigational
manoeuvring conditions near land which meet the project needs). At the same time,
for profitability reasons, the proponent sought to locate as close as possible to the
markets and to the existing natural gas transportation and distribution network.
In this process, the proponent excluded sites located upstream of Québec City, where
river depth is insufficient for LNG tankers that would supply the project. Downstream,
the proponent studied places previously considered by the government during
preliminary studies in the 1970s. He retained four sites for more detailed evaluation,
namely Gros-Cacouna, near Rivière-du-Loup, 220 km from the Québec City, Pointe
Saint-Denis at Rivière-Ouelle, 100 km from the Québec City, Pointe de Saint-Vallier,
35 km from the city of Québec, and the Ville-Guay sector at the limits between Lévis
and Beaumont.
After having rejected Saint-Vallier because of the presence of a bird sanctuary,
among other reasons, the proponent arranged for a prefeasibility study for the other
three sites (DA3). Subsequently, the proponent selected the Ville-Guay sector. In the
impact statement, he lists the following technical and economic considerations
justifying this choice:
– Wind, wave, and ice conditions are the most suitable.
– Pilots are very familiar with navigating conditions.
– Seismic conditions are acceptable.
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