The Prince Rupert Grain Terminal. Photo courtesy Prince Rupert Port Authority
is already taking shape, including the $750 million rail-to-container CANXPORT transloading complex for bulk commodities like specialty agricultural products, lumber, and plastic pellets.
The largest grain terminal on the West Coast, it primarily handles wheat, barley, and canola from the prairies. Today, the connection to Alberta remains strong. In 2022, $3.8 billion worth of Alberta exports — mainly propane, agricultural products and wood pulp — were shipped through the Port of Prince Rupert, according to the province’s Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors. In 2024, Alberta awarded a $250,000 grant to the Prince Rupert Port Authority to lead discussions on expanding transportation links with the province’s Industrial Heartland region near Edmonton.
HANDLING SOME OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST VESSELS The Port of Prince Rupert could safely handle oil tankers, including Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), Stevenson said. “We would have the capacity both in water depth and access and egress to the port that could handle Aframax, Suezmax and even VLCCs,” he said. “We don’t have terminal capacity to handle oil at this point, but there’s certainly terminal capacities within the port complex that could be either expanded or diversified in their capability.”
CANADIAN PROPANE GOES GLOBAL
A centrepiece of new development is the $1.35-billion Ridley Energy Export Facility — the port’s third propane terminal since 2019. “Prince Rupert is already emerging as a globally significant gateway for propane exports to Asia,” Exner-Pirot said. Thanks to shipments from Prince Rupert, Canadian propane – primarily from Alberta – has gone global, no longer confined to U.S. markets. More than 45 per cent of Canada’s propane exports now reach destinations outside the United States, according to the Canada Energy Regulator. “Twenty-five per cent of Japan’s propane imports come through Prince Rupert, and just shy of 15 per cent of Korea’s imports. It’s created a lift on every barrel produced in Western Canada,” Stevenson said. “When we look at natural gas liquids, propane and butane, we think there’s an opportunity for Canada via Prince Rupert becoming the trading benchmark for the Asia-Pacific region.” That would give Canadian production an enduring competitive advantage when serving key markets in Asia, he said. DEEP CONNECTION TO ALBERTA The Port of Prince Rupert has been a key export hub for Alberta commodities for more than four decades. Through the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, the province invested $134 million — roughly half the total cost — to build the Prince Rupert Grain Terminal, which opened in 1985.
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Today, the connection to Alberta remains strong. ”
The Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal, Canada’s first marine propane export terminal, started shipping in May 2019. Photo courtesy AltaGas Ltd.
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