Canada Eyes LNG Partnership With France Amid European Diversification Efforts

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand sees opportunities for an energy partnership between Canada and France involving liquefied natural gas from Canada's Pacific coast. This comes after leaders of the two countries met to discuss energy cooperation, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling for deeper ties in recent days.

Anand said it was 'quite conceivable' for Canada to execute an energy partnership with a European country using LNG exported from its west coast. She mentioned that discussions on energy partnerships are taking place with countries around the world across various sectors, including LNG, clean energy, wind, solar, and nuclear power.

The first North American LNG export site with direct access to the Pacific Ocean is the recently constructed LNG Canada facility in British Columbia, which shipped its first-ever cargo in June. Anand pointed out that every country she speaks with asks about potential partnerships in energy, highlighting discussions earlier this year between Canada and Germany involving LNG supplies destined for Asia through a swap arrangement.

Canada's expertise in energy could match the needs of partner countries, according to Anand. She added that Ottawa is seeking to deepen ties not only with the European Union as a whole but also with individual member states, such as Germany, where Uniper finalized a 20-year LNG purchase deal at the end of July.