加拿大唯一的液化天然气（LNG）设施去年开始运营，但根据一份新报告，该国有机会扩大该行业规模，成为世界顶级天然气出口国之一。
Canada’s only liquified natural gas (LNG) facility began operating last year, yet the country has an opportunity to scale up that industry and become one of the top natural gas exporters in the world, according to a new report.
不过，仍需克服若干障碍，包括漫长的审批流程以及私营部门提出的项目不足。联邦政府的目标是将液化天然气出口量增至每年1亿吨以上。目前，有一座设施正在运营，产能为每年1400万吨。
There are several hurdles to overcome, though, including a lengthy permitting process and a lack of proposed projects by the private sector. The federal government aims to grow LNG exports to upwards of 100 million tonnes per year. Currently, one facility is operational with a capacity of 14 million tonnes per year.
根据标普全球周四发布的报告，实现联邦目标可能产生重大经济影响，包括每年创造近25万个就业岗位，以及到2050年为天然气行业带来近1万亿美元的投资。
Reaching the federal goal could have a significant economic impact, according to the report released Thursday by S&P Global, including nearly a quarter million jobs annually and nearly $1 trillion of investment in the natural gas industry by 2050.
标普全球副主席丹尼尔·耶金在接受加拿大广播公司（CBC）新闻采访时表示：“如果加拿大能解决其审批问题和成本问题，加拿大可以在全球液化天然气领域发挥非常重要的作用，这显然将有利于加拿大经济，并有助于使其经济全球化，减少对南方邻国的依赖。”加拿大西部拥有大量天然气，生产成本属于北美最低水平之一。
“If Canada can address its permitting issues and its cost issues, Canada can play a very big role in global LNG, which would be obviously beneficial for the Canadian economy and would help to globalize its economy and make its economy less dependent upon on its neighbour to the south,” said Daniel Yergin, vice-chairman of S&P Global, in an interview with CBC News. Western Canada has a vast amount of natural gas, which can be produced at some of the lowest costs in North America.
然而，修建管道将天然气从阿尔伯塔省和不列颠哥伦比亚省东北部输送至西海岸，一直是一个复杂且昂贵的过程。
However, building pipelines to transport the gas to the West Coast from Alberta and northeast B.C. has been a complex and expensive process.
由TC Energy开发、当地原住民部落部分持有的“沿海天然气管道”项目，经历了多次延误和成本超支。该管道项目遭到多个原住民社区和环保人士反对。该管道横跨不列颠哥伦比亚省北部约625个湖泊、河流、溪流、湿地和溪涧。
The Coastal GasLink project, which was developed by TC Energy and is partly-owned by local First Nations, faced several delays and cost overruns. The project was opposed by various Indigenous communities and environmentalists. The pipeline project crosses about 625 lakes, rivers, creeks, wetlands and streams in northern B.C.
一些专家表示，由于开发和建设能源基础设施极其困难，加拿大永远不会成为液化天然气（LNG）出口超级大国。此外，还有许多其他国家也在争取吸引液化天然气投资，其中包括美国。
Some experts have said Canada will never be an LNG-exporting superpower because it has been so difficult to develop and construct energy infrastructure. There is also competition from many other countries that are wanting to attract LNG investment, including the U.S.
根据标普全球的报告，加拿大的许可流程比得克萨斯州多耗时27个月，管道建设成本高出160%。联邦政府已推出新立法，旨在加快监管审查。
Canada’s permitting process has taken 27 months longer compared to Texas, and pipelines cost 160 per cent more to build, according to the S&P report. The federal government has introduced new legislation aimed at speeding up regulatory reviews.
LNG Canada是该国唯一的液化天然气出口设施，尽管另有六个项目正在建设中或处于开发阶段。总体而言，它们每年将生产略超过5000万吨液化天然气。
LNG Canada is the only LNG export facility in the country, although six others are either under construction or in development. Altogether, they would produce just over 50 million tonnes of LNG each year.
耶金表示，全球能源行业的一个“大秘密”是加拿大油气资源的规模，以及其拥有通往亚洲相对较短航运路线的地理优势。
One of the big secrets in the global energy industry is the size of Canada’s oil and natural gas, said Yergin, along with its geographical advantage of a relatively short shipping route to Asia.
“亚洲买家想要来自加拿大的液化天然气，”耶金说，世界其他国家也是如此，特别是考虑到今年中东冲突扰乱了全球天然气市场。在欧洲，随着冬季临近，人们担心取暖用气成本高昂。
“Asian buyers want that LNG from Canada,” said Yergin, along with other countries around the world, especially considering how the conflict in the Middle East this year has disrupted the global natural gas market. In Europe, there are concerns about the high cost of gas to heat homes as the winter months approach.
他说：“各方对多元化有强烈兴趣。大家深信必须为体系构建安全性和韧性。你需要一个多元化的投资组合，拥有不必经过咽喉要道的资源将大有裨益。因此，所有这些因素都指向加拿大目前拥有的优势。”
"There's a strong interest in diversification. There's a conviction that you have to build security and resilience into your system. You need a diversified portfolio, and it would be beneficial to have resources that don't have to go through choke points.
耶金表示，总理马克·卡尼在国际舞台上拥有很高的公信力，但投资者将希望看到许可改革的实际成效，因为漫长的等待时间会给公司带来巨大成本。
And so all of those things point to advantages that Canada has right now,” he said. Prime Minister Mark Carney has a lot of credibility on the world stage, said Yergin, but investors will want to see proof of permitting reform since lengthy wait times can be very costly for companies.
由于多种因素，从世界人口增长到人工智能数据中心和空调的用电需求，预计未来几十年天然气需求将增长。
Demand for natural gas is expected to grow over the coming decades due to a variety of factors, ranging from the world's growing population to power demand from AI data centres and air conditioning.
根据标普全球的数据，加拿大液化天然气（LNG）的温室气体排放强度比其他国家的同类项目低55%。
Canadian LNG has 55 per cent lower greenhouse gas intensity compared with similar projects in other countries, according to S&P Global.