the construction of the project has been awarded to a joint venture of two large engineering companies, JGC of Japan and Fluor Corporation of the US, operating as JGC Fluor aka JFJV. The first phase of the project includes a $6.2-billion Coastal GasLink Pipeline through northern British Columbia, which will be built and operated by TC Energy (formerly TransCanada Corporation). Coastal GasLink will be a 670-kilometre (420 mile) gas pipeline with an initial capacity of about 2.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/day) with the potential for expansion of up to approximately 5 Bcf/day. Construction activities are expected to begin in early 2019 with a planned in-service date in 2023. The pipeline project is backed by 25-year transportation service agreements between TC Energy and the LNG Canada partners. The second phase is the construction of an $18-billion gas liquefaction and storage plant in the port of Kitimat, B.C., with two liquefaction 'trains' where the natural gas will be cooled to reach its liquid state, then be stored waiting for ships to transport it to Asian markets. A new terminal for LNG carrier ships will be built at the port of Kitimat, B.C., connected to the LNG Canada liquefaction and storage plant. LNG carrier ships will sail up and down the Douglas Channel, to and from the port of Kitimat, to load LNG and sail to overseas destinations, mainly in Asia. Such ships may be owned and operated by some of the LNG Canada partners, or by their LNG purchasing clients, or they may be time-chartered from specialized independent ship owners and operators of such specialized ships. A potential controversy in connection with this large construction project is the level of customs duties that will be applied by Canada on any import of foreign manufactured steel modules, especially from China. Environmental impact As for any energy mining, transportation, storage and export project of this magnitude, there are numerous potential impacts on the atmosphere, on land, and at sea, which have started to be debated both within Kitimat and British Columbia, as well as in Canada at large. The LNG project is set to be the largest point source of pollution in British Columbia, and, according to The Narwhal, the first phase of the project will emit four megatonnes of GHG emissions annually, equivalent to putting 856,531 cars on the road. The additional pollution is expected to make it much more difficult