Environmentalist questions Canaport LNG's future

A local environmentalist wants to know what's going on at Canaport LNG, after a report surfaced that it would be sold.

Majority Spanish owner Repsol is looking to unload its liquid natural gas assets which would include its $750-million facility in Saint John, according toa Reuters report last week.

Local environmentalist Gordon Dalzell says he has a few questions about the potential sale of Repsol's 75 per cent share of Canaport LNG.

Irving Oil Ltd. owns the other 25 per cent.

"I called for an emergency meeting of the community committee to take a look and find out what is going on, what are the impacts?"

Dalzell, who sits on the Canaport Community Environmental Liaison Committee, questions whether a buyer would have the same commitment to the community as Repsol.

John Herron, president of the Atlantica Centre for Energy, says heshares that concern.

"They didn't just ship their dollars here, they're active participants in the Greater Saint John community."

Herronpoints to a number of projects Canaport LNG has helped out with including the Marsh Creek cleanup and restoring the Imperial Theatre.

While no official announcement on a sale has been made, Repsol says it is analyzing its business portfolio, but no decisions have been made.