Woodfibre LNG’s new chief executive officer Luke Schauerte recently announced that the company wants to set up a second repurposed cruise ship, or “floatel,” for workers building the facility near Squamish, B.C.

It would house up to 900 additional workers, effectively doubling the workforce for the project.

The aim is to “complete the project as quickly as possible,” Schauerte told DOB Energy in an exclusive interview.

“Floatel one, Isabelle, is currently docked right at the site. The workers get up in the morning, go down to the lockers, get into their dry, warm gear, and then [head] right out of the ship and into the workplace,” he said.

"We’re looking to do the same for a second floatel, to park it right at site.”

With Woodfibre due to start operations in 2027, this could easily bring its starting date forward just as the first modular section of the plant — a pipe rack — arrived from China on May 24.

Nineteen modules will arrive at Woodfibre in 2025 and 2026, ranging in size from the 126-tonne pipe rack to an almost 11,000-tonne liquefaction unit that covers roughly the same amount of space as a football field.

“I don’t want to presuppose an outcome. As we understand what the timing looks like for that, and as we understand how quickly we can get the boat on board, then we’ll figure out what that means for finishing the project,” he said.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to get more workers, get product to market faster.”

Finding hundreds of highly skilled workers will be made easier thanks to the number of mega-projects in British Columbia winding down construction.

“LNG Canada is currently getting closer and closer to first cargo and winding down [construction],” Schauerte said.

“A lot of the workers that have been trained on cryogenic insulation, trained on welding in some of those fixture applications. Electricians, control, instrumentation, a lot of those people will be coming off those projects. What we’re hoping to do is ramp up in time to attract them to work for us.

“It’s a logistics opportunity that you don’t get to see that often.”

A mega-project planner with LNG Canada and Shell

Schauerte came to Woodfibre in November 2024 from LNG Canada, where he guided the project’s construction and start-up plans as vice-president, asset. Prior to this he served in a variety of executive roles with Shell plc, both in Canada and internationally.

He brought to Woodfibre experience as a large-scale planner and infrastructure builder and found three things matter most on such builds: relationships with communities and local governments, understanding that “context drives reality,” and “delivering every day safely and efficiently.”

“Fundamentally, [it’s about] having that focus on … compliance and ultimately making sure you have a high-quality product at the end,” Schauerte said.

Currently, a day on the job as Woodfibre’s CEO means partnering and supporting the project team overall, making sure regulatory framework agreements and permits are in place, and helping to overcome technical challenges onsite.

“And I’d say I spend a good portion of my day making sure that the team here at Woodfibre is focused and motivated, spending time building relationships with the District of Squamish and the Squamish community and … then a lot of time with Squamish Nation, really making sure we’re living up to the expectations we set,” said Schauerte.

Woodfibre is fully booked with customers and Schauerte is not especially concerned with current global trade challenges.

“Our first 15 years of production is already sold, so, I think in that sense, there’s not a lot to talk about,” Schauerte said.

“That said, the global energy context has changed. First off, there’s more emerging demand in the market overall. I definitely see LNG being identified as that transition fuel, and it’s being sought after.

“The second [point] is that there is a look across the globe for diversification to make sure that [there is] access to new markets and new resource bases. I see more positive discussions from across the globe about connecting Canada to those markets. It’s picking up momentum.”

No plan for Woodfibre ‘phase two,’ yet

With both LNG Canada and Cedar LNG projects exploring the potential of phase two growth, is Woodfibre LNG contemplating expansion yet?

“No, … we’re really focused on getting this project finished and completed and into production. That’s where we’re putting our time and energy at this time,” Schauerte said.

“It’s going to look like a completed plant even though we haven’t connected [the modules]…. We see a really strong finish to our foundations work this year,” said Schauerte.

“There’ll be a lot of work getting our floating storage tank foundations and moorings in place, ultimately getting all the parts and pieces from the modules in and then working on connecting it all and getting it all together. Then it’s moving into commissioning and start-up.

“This year is really about going vertical. People will see a facility sitting there. It’s just going to take a little while to connect it all up.”

Asked about the biggest challenges they’d encountered in the construction of Woodfibre so far, Schauerte said two things — mooring preliminary structures for the floating facility, and the amount of hard rock drilling required overall — had proved to be the steepest learning curves.

“It’s a tight site. Everything has to go in order and has to be delivered on time. We’re really laser-focused on making sure that happens and making sure we can sequence the placement of the modules effectively,” he said.

Woodfibre is also continuing along the path to being a net zero facility and construction project.

Squamish Nation as Woodfibre regulator

The construction activity for Woodfibre is directly across Howe Sound from the Squamish Nation’s Stawamus reserve, and the Nation’s role as regulator on the project is unique, Schauerte said.

“It’s a first. It’s a powerful relationship, something that we work on every day in terms of either building alignment or understanding expectations,” he said.

“We’ve been working passionately and hard with the nation on that, and I think we’re seeing that evolve into something that’s replicable.

“And then also they’re a business partner. So, you know, every day we’re working on how various business opportunities that are moving the Nation forward, generating employment for Nation members.”

With LNG Canada due to begin export operations in early June, Schauerte is looking forward to “learning through watching,” being the next LNG terminal due to start up.

“It’s a foundational moment for Canada, … so, having contributed to it, I’m just excited to see it getting close to happening,” he said.

“We’re watching for, ‘How is it going? What’s the community’s response? How is that working with the [First] Nations? What technical challenges can you glean from what you’re seeing publicly?’

“We can learn and [see what can be] brought forward from there that we can replicate.”