Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform
Project Description
Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform
The Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform (RIELP) is a port infrastructure project that will enable and support the development of innovative, large scale, export transloading facilities designed to increase efficiencies in export supply chains maximize value to Canadian exporters, and support the growth of the intermodal business in the Port of Prince Rupert.
The Prince Rupert Port Authority is the project proponent and would build the proposed land, rail, road and utility infrastructure required to support future transloading operations located on the platform.
Located on the southern end of Ridley Island, the RIELP is designed to host integrated large-scale bulk transload facilities, integrated large-scale breakbulk facilities and an integrated off-dock container yard. Collectively, the platform is designed to support at least 400,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of export transload capacity annually, with the potential to increase capacity to 700,00 (TEUs) for bulk and breakbulk commodities in the future.
The project is designed to create a platform for transloading bulk commodities such as plastic pellets, cereal grains, speciality agriculture crops, lumber, pulp and mineral concentrates to containers for export. The integrated off-dock facility will provide empty container storage for the portâs container terminal operations, enhancing terminal efficiency and capacities. The platform and future operating services located on it will be fully integrated via transportation and technological integration with the container terminal operations.
The infrastructure project is estimated to have a capital cost of 250 million dollars with a two-year construction timeline and an estimated workforce of 250 people during construction.
The Project Description is available here:
Project Status:
The Environmental Effects Evaluation (EEE) for the Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform was open for public comment between August 6 and September 4, 2020.
To learn more about the Project and the EEE, watch the videos below and access the EEE document here:
If you have any further questions about the Project, send us an email:
Frequently asked questions about the project can also be found below.
The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) is proposing the construction and future operation of the Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform (RIELP), intended to enhance the Port of Prince Rupertâs export capacity through a new state-of-the-art export logistics platform.
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The Project will consist of new rail, upgrades to the existing access road, a new container storage yard and transloading facilities for bulk and breakbulk commodities.
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PRPA will need to fulfill its responsibilities under Section 82 of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) and make a determination of significance on whether the proposed works and activities has the potential to result in a significant adverse environmental effect.
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Ridley Island is mainly bogs fen and swamp wetlands. The bogs are covered in a variety of Sphagnum and brown mosses, shrubs and sparse trees including, Western red cedar, yellow cedar and shore pine.
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Potential adverse effects resulting from the Project are expected to be minor, well understood, and able to be addressed with established and effective mitigation measures.
Read MoreThe Prince Rupert Port Authority is responsible for the overall planning, development, marketing and management of the commercial port facilities within the Port of Prince Rupert.
This includes the competitive, efficient and timely responses to customers and business opportunities. PRPA funnels all its operations through four core values; trust, community, marine safety and innovation.
Project Statistics
- Estimated Capital Cost:
- 250 Million
- Estimated Construction Workforce:
- 250 Person Years
- Project Milestones Date:
- Environmental Effects Evaluation start: Q1 2020
- Estimated construction start: Q1 2022
- Estimated in service date: Q1 2023
RIELP Frequently Asked Questions
An Environmental Effects Evaluation is a planning process to integrate environmental factors into decision making. The process is a requirement for federal decision makers to undertake before any decisions are made that would enable a project to proceed. Throughout the process, information, scientific evidence, local and Indigenous knowledge is gathered to determine the likelihood of adverse effects the environment.
After the EEE is prepared, federal decision makers consider the potential environmental effects and mitigation measures described in the report along with any comments from the public and Indigenous groups. Once the information is considered sufficient, a determination on the likelihood of the project to result in significant adverse effects is reached. Following this determination, federal authorities are able to provide funds, issue permits or move forward with constructing the project.
The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) is both the proponent and a federal authority for the Logistics Platform Project. PRPA is coordinating with other federal authorities in reaching the determination including Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada.
The EEE is a process that doesnât just create public awareness of a project, but seeks public feedback on the project-specific impacts that should be considered and the mitigation measures being proposed. PRPA encourages everyone to familiarize themselves with the proposed project description, consider the approach being applied to potential impacts, and give us your comments and/or questions relevant to this evaluation to ensure a thorough plan is being developed for its future development.
⢠Air Quality & Greenhouse Gases
⢠Noise
⢠Vegetation and wetlands
⢠Wildlife and wildlife habitat
⢠Fish and fish habitat (freshwater & marine)
⢠Archaeological resources
considered and documented through the following criteria: potential adverse effects, identification of established mitigation measures and potential residual effects. For detailed mitigation measures please refer to the EEE draft copy available at: www.rupertport.com
⢠Noise
⢠Vegetation and wetlands
⢠Wildlife and wildlife habitat
⢠Fish and fish habitat (freshwater & marine)
⢠Archaeological resources
considered and documented through the following criteria: potential adverse effects, identification of established mitigation measures and potential residual effects. For detailed mitigation measures please refer to the EEE draft copy available at: www.rupertport.com
There are a variety of ways impact on the natural environment can be minimized through effective planning for construction and operations. During construction, considerations in lighting, drainage, storm and wastewater collection and removal will be implemented. For example, drainage ditches will be constructed to collect and convey stormwater and for erosion and sediment control and fish bearing watercourse can be avoided.
Transloading is the activity of transferring cargo from one mode of transportation to another. In the case of the Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform, export products such as lumber, grain and plastic pellets would be transloaded from bulk rail cars into containers. The existing Ray-mont Logistics and CT Terminals operations on Ridley Island are good examples of this.
The Prince Rupert Port Authority has a mandate to enable trade in Canada, and this project will provide a number of different Canadian export sectors with an efficient, reliable and cost -effective way to reach international customers. This will enable to improve the competitiveness of both the Port of Prince Rupert and Canadian export industries on a global scale. Currently, loaded import containers far exceed the number of loaded export containers moving through Prince Rupert and it is important to provide much needed export capacity to ensure balanced, two-way trade by reducing the number of empty containers moving back through the supply chain. The introduction of the export logistics platform, and the logistics services that will operate on it, will incentivize more loaded exports and support the continued growth of the container business in Prince Rupert.
No. Containers that are loaded with exports will be trucked to DP Worldâs Fairview Terminal on the Fairview-Ridley Connector Road currently under construction.
The Export Logistics Platform will host multiple logistics operations, which will be able to provide specific services for the export of products such as grain, pulp, lumber, mineral concentrates and plastic pellets, mostly from Western Canada.
- We currently have tens of thousands of empty containers moving through Prince Rupert, being loaded back onto vessels. The availability of so many empty containers at the port is a significant opportunity for Canadian exporters to fill them up with valuable products for markets overseas. Empty container availability in other parts of Western Canada is a major issue for exporters because geographically, exports are often produced in rural areas, while the imports are often headed to distribution centres and manufacturing facilities in urban areas.
- Rail access is a significant driver of this developmentâs specific location on Ridley Island. The ability to build out large loop track extensions on the existing Road Rail Utility Corridor to accommodate 12,000-foot trains means that we can achieve both scale and operational efficiency.
- Proximity to DP Worldâs Fairview Terminal is another advantage. By using the Fairview-Ridley Connector road currently under construction, trucks have a shorter transit to the marine terminal from the RIELP, providing cost savings, reducing the environmental footprint, and improving safety by removing port related truck traffic from the community.
- Having an off-dock container yard integrated into the RIELP will improve the capacity of DP Worldâs Fairview Terminal, by storing empty containers adjacent to where the exports are coming from, and by storing laden exports until they are needed to be loaded back onto a vessel.
Yes. Prince Rupert currently has a number of transload operations including Quickload Logistics, Tidal Coast Terminals, CT Terminals and Ray-Mont Logistics. The RIELP project enables an aggregation of rail fed services into a common area, with common infrastructure, and allows the ability for significant expansion.
The RIELP has an annual design capacity that will enable the ability to load 400,000 TEUs of containers in phase one, with an ability to expand to accommodate more than 700,000 TEUs of capacity.
This project recently started its environmental review under the new Impact Assessment Act regulations. PRPA initiated a 30-day public comment period on the Project Description in early March, with a proposed end date of April 10, in order to develop some initial awareness and generate comments on the project before we produce an environmental effects evaluation. Unfortunately, the reality of COVID-19 and its impact on traditional communication uses like open houses has caused us to reinvent how this engagement can occur. In order to facilitate this, we are extending the public comment period to the end of April and have developed an enhanced web-based project description on the Project website. Itâs important to note that during this unprecedented situation, PRPA is continuing to work on projects that support and enable Canadian trade, and this project is a critical piece of infrastructure that will help grow the intermodal business at the Port of Prince Rupert. The timely review of this project will facilitate the ability to start construction in 2021, also contributing to the national economic recovery that will be so important after the pandemic resides.
The Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform supports the continued growth of the container business in Prince Rupert and PRPA proposes establishing a large-scale export logistics facility to ensure balanced two-way trade. The proposed development will provide Canadian exporters with an innovative and efficient export solution to access international markets and support Canadian trade. The infrastructure project is estimated to have a capital cost of 250 million dollars with a two-year construction timeline and an estimated workforce of 250 people during construction. The Port of Prince supports the direct employment of over 3600 direct jobs in northern BC, in jobs related to marine activity, terminal labour, rail, trucking, inspections and other aspects. Over 1800 of those jobs are located in Prince Rupert, and this projectâs positive impacts on the broad container business will ensure it remains strong and able to expand. While the additional direct operational employment associated with businesses that will operate on this project is still dependent on many factors, PRPA has estimated it could be up to 150 new jobs at full build out.
No. Work camps will not be required during the construction or operation of the Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform.
No. The project is located on the southern end of Ridley Island, and it is expected that rock needed for the projectâs civil works will be sourced from the same area. Another PRPA project, the current construction of the Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor is being sourced in close proximity to âBarrett Fortâ, it has not impacted the site either.
The Ridley Island Connector Corridor is currently under construction and scheduled to be complete by early 2021. The five-kilometer road and rail corridor will enable dedicated direct access for trucks and trains between Fairview Container Terminal and Ridley Island, virtually eliminating container truck traffic from downtown.
Measurement and monitoring of air quality parameters is a vital tool in the management of air quality. Currently, PRPA measures ambient levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen oxides (NOX, NO2, NO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and tropospheric ozone (O3). Monitoring data is collected and available on PRPAâs website. The British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy has established air quality objectives for the province that PRPA measures itself against to ensure best practices.
Currently, air quality monitoring happens in real-time at two sites within PRPAâs jurisdiction where engine combustion is most concentrated, near Westview and Fairview terminals. The environmental effects evaluation related to this project will consider whether that monitoring program should be expanded to Ridley Island.
To view the readings from the air monitoring station at Fairview
View
The area on Ridley Island being impacted by the Project is well understood, assisted in part by previous investigations done for projects that have not advanced. While potential adverse effects resulting from the Project are expected to be minor, PRPAâs identification of potential effects will be complemented by input from other regulatory agencies involved in the process, consultation with local First Nations, and input from the public through this comment period. Mitigations will focus on using effective and established measures that avoid, reduce, repair or compensate for those environmental effects, and will include means to evaluate their effectiveness on an ongoing basis.
Rail activity on the CN mainline is both outside of the jurisdiction of PRPA and the scope of the environmental review of this project. The future growth of port volumes, related to both this project and other terminals, will result in more trains going to and from the port. CN is committed to safe and responsible delivery of its trains and their cargoes in all of its operations, and is also investing in train passing siding and bridge capacity around Port Edward to ensure fluid movement of trains through that area. The District of Port Edward has identified train interruptions as a local issue, and PRPA has committed $250,000 to the District of Port Edward to upgrade crossing signals in the municipality in order to improve both public safety and reduce noise associated with train whistling once current siding construction is complete.
In 2018, operations at the Port of Prince Rupert generated $125.5 million in tax revenue to all levels of government in Canada. The direct portion of revenue received by the City of Prince Rupert and the District of Port Edward was 9.3 million dollars. This project is located within the City of Prince Rupert, is currently subject to Payments In Lieu of Taxes, and will be subject to standard assessment and property tax rates once leased to an operator (of note, only marine cargo terminals are eligible for the application of property tax rate caps under the BC Governmentâs Port Property Tax Act.) The project is also expected to indirectly contribute to the local tax revenue though the creating of approximately 50 new permanent jobs.