NorthRiver Midstream (NRM) has filed a licence amendment for its Gordondale Gas Plant in Alberta’s Grande Prairie field centre—an incremental but meaningful step for reliability, H₂S handling, and liquids recovery in the heart of the Montney. Below is a clear look at what’s changing, why it matters, and how it fits within NRM’s broader growth story.
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Project at a Glance
- Applicant / Licence: NorthRiver Midstream Inc. (BA A1KN) — Licence Amendment to original Facility Licence #21171; Application #1958522 submitted July 29, 2025.
- Location: LSD 11-24-079-11W6, 55.862868, −119.585863; AER Field Centre: Grande Prairie; Field/Area: Gordondale.
- Category/Type: D400 — Gas processing plant (≥1 t/d sulphur inlet).
- Nearest development: 0.78 km to the nearest residence; 0.01 km to the nearest surface development.
What the Amendment Covers
The filing checks several boxes typical of a plant optimization/modernization package, including changes to maximum licensed inlet rates, compression, H₂S content parameters, sulphur emissions/recovery settings, and the addition of regenerative sweetening and acid gas disposal method updates.
Design & Throughput (Licensed Maximums)
- Total inlet: 4,530.70 e³ m³/d raw gas; 259.2 m³/d condensate; 12.9 m³/d water; 42.39 t/d sulphur.
- Continuous emissions (licensed): NOₓ 5.71 kg/h; CO₂ 158.92 t/d; flaring/incineration 0.00; venting 0.00.
Products & Liquids Recovery
- Sales gas: 4,071.96 e³ m³/d.
- C5+ (condensate): 172.8 m³/d; LPG mix: 492.0 m³/d.
H₂S, Sweetening & Acid Gas
- Sweetening: Regenerative sweetening process.
- Acid gas disposal: Subsurface injection.
- H₂S limits: Max inlet H₂S = 25.000 (unit as filed); acid gas H₂S = 752.100 mol/kmol (~75.21% mol).
- ERP context: Maximum calculated EPZ = 2.25 km; 5 surface developments within the EPZ.
Noise & Compression
- Noise: Night-time PSL 40 dBA; predicted overall 40 dBA at the nearest residence.
- Compression inventory: 3 gas + 10 electric compressors on site (10,305 kW total); amendment installs two gas-driven units (749 kW each; 2.68 g/kWh NOₓ).
Note: Values above are licensed maximums from the Directive 056 filing and do not necessarily reflect day-to-day operating rates.
Why This Matters
1) Safer sour handling & emissions discipline.
Regenerative sweetening plus acid gas injection reduces continuous flaring/venting (both filed as 0.00) and aligns with AER air quality objectives for NOₓ/SO₂, strengthening safety and environmental performance around Gordondale.
2) More liquids, more optionality.
With C5+ and LPG mix recovery licensed, the plant supports higher-value liquids marketing—useful in commodity cycles where NGL and condensate realizations help offset gas price volatility.
3) Reliability for Montney producers.
Added compression capacity and clear ERP parameters (including a 2.25 km EPZ and defined counts of nearby developments) help maintain uptime and stakeholder confidence as pad densities increase.
About NorthRiver Midstream (NRM)
What they do. NRM operates gas gathering pipelines and processing facilities across the Montney in NE British Columbia and NW Alberta. nrm.ca+1
Ownership. NRM is a Brookfield Infrastructure portfolio company, formed through Brookfield’s acquisition of Enbridge’s Western Canadian G&P business (2018–2019). nrm.cabip.brookfield.com
Scale & footprint. Historical disclosures cite ~19 gas processing facilities with ~3.3 bcf/d of capacity and ~3,550 km of gathering pipelines across the Montney—illustrating the breadth of the system Gordondale plugs into. OGJTorys
Growth link: NEBC Connector. On April 7, 2025, NRM confirmed BC Energy Regulator approvals for the NEBC Connector (two parallel small-diameter pipelines ~213–215 km) and the CER discontinued its hearing—positioning the project to enhance connectivity (including a tie-in to KAPS Zone 4) for Montney liquids. CERnrm.ca+2nrm.ca+2
What Producers Should Watch
- H₂S envelope and ERP: The amendment’s inlet H₂S limit (25.000) and EPZ (2.25 km) define planning assumptions for sour pads, trucking, and nearby stakeholders.
- Liquids take-away: C5+ and LPG mix recovery supports condensate and NGL program economics; integration with broader NRM/KAPS corridors could further diversify netbacks once NEBC Connector milestones progress. nrm.ca
- Air/noise compliance: Filed NOₓ, CO₂, and 40 dBA noise figures help de-risk permitting and community relations in a multi-operator area.
Bottom Line
NRM’s Gordondale amendment is a utility-class tune-up: it tightens H₂S and ERP parameters, adds compression, and codifies liquids recovery—incremental improvements that collectively support safer, steadier, and more valuable Montney throughputs. For producers planning 2025–2026 pad schedules around Grande Prairie, Gordondale looks positioned as a reliable sink with liquids upside and a clear regulatory envelope.
Sources: AER Directive 056 filing for Gordondale Gas Plant Licence #21171 (Application #1958522, filed July 29, 2025) and NorthRiver Midstream public materials
