Spectra Energy opens new natural gas processing plant

More than one million man hours logged during plant construction

DAWSON CREEK, BC, July 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - After 1.2 million man hours logged by a workforce of up to 300 on-site workers, Spectra Energy celebrated the Official Grand Opening of the Dawson Processing Plant in Bessborough, British Columbia today.

Together with federal, provincial and local public officials, a host of community leaders and valued neighbours, attendees enjoyed pancakes flipped by the Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of the Province of British Columbia, an Aboriginal performance by the Saulteau First Nation drummers, speeches and facility tours.

The event marked another important milestone in Spectra Energy's growth strategy. The company is in the home-stretch to complete its 2009-2013 $1.5 billion British Columbia investment program - strategic expansion projects that are growing the economy, providing jobs, and delivering responsible, domestic energy.

"Spectra Energy is executing one of the largest infrastructure projects our sector has witnessed in recent years, and we are poised to invest an additional $4-$6 billion in British Columbia beyond 2015," explained Doug Bloom, president, Spectra Energy Transmission West.  "Accessing the natural gas-rich area of the Montney play enables Spectra Energy to meet the growing needs of our customers with critical gathering, processing and pipeline services, and sets the foundation for further investment opportunities in British Columbia."

"Spectra Energy has built an innovative, expandable natural gas processing facility that supports local employment and business development in the Dawson Creek area," said Premier Christy Clark. "Natural gas is the opportunity of our lifetime, and this plant is another example of the long-term economic activity natural gas can create with the right support from industry investments and the BC Jobs Plan."

Bloom emphasized that stringent safety standards have been the guiding principle throughout the entire project. During construction, the company undertook a number of measures to ensure the safety of its employees, contractors and the local community.  In doing so, it accomplished the safety goal of working more than 1.2 million man hours without a single lost time injury (an injury requiring time off work).  With multiple contractors and Spectra Energy personnel working together on the project, this has set a new standard in performance.

Furthermore, he noted that the company believes in hiring and contracting locally as its staff and contractors form the foundation of the company's present and future success. During construction, 15 per cent of the workforce were employed from local and Aboriginal communities and upon completion, it now employs 20 permanent employees.

The 200 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) Dawson Processing Plant is being installed in two phases to meet the scale and scope of its customers' needs in a timely and efficient manner. The initial 100 MMcf/d phase of construction began flowing gas on May 31, 2012. Construction of Phase II is underway and expected to be complete in early 2013.

Spectra Energy's highly developed gathering and processing system is the largest infrastructure network to serve the Montney play. The company oversees more than 2,200 kilometres of gathering pipeline in the region, and has interests in eleven processing plants with over 1.6 Bcf/d of area gas processing capacity in the Montney.

Spectra Energy Corp (NYSE: SE), a FORTUNE 500 company, is one of North America's premier natural gas infrastructure companies serving three key links in the natural gas value chain: gathering and processing, transmission and storage, and distribution. For more than a century, Spectra Energy and its predecessor companies have developed critically important pipelines and related infrastructure connecting natural gas supply sources to premium markets. Based in Houston, Texas, the company's operations in the United States and Canada include more than 19,000 miles of transmission pipeline, approximately 305 billion cubic feet of storage, as well as natural gas gathering and processing, natural gas liquids and local distribution operations. The company also has a 50 percent ownership in DCP Midstream, one of the largest natural gas gatherers and processors in the United States. Spectra Energy is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes and the U.S. S&P 500 Carbon Disclosure Project's Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. For more information, visit www.spectraenergy.com.

SOURCE Spectra Energy Corp.

Image with caption: "Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia joins Spectra Energy employees to declare the Dawson Processing Plant in Bessborough, B.C. officially open for business. L to R: Doug Bloom, Gary Weilinger, Hon. Bob Zimmer, Hon. Christy Clark, Karen Gooding, Hon. Rich Coleman, Hon. Blair Lekstrom, Laverne Norris. (CNW Group/Spectra Energy Corp.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120713_C8165_PHOTO_EN_16238.jpg

Image with caption: "Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia chats with Spectra Energy employees and construction contractors at the Official Grand Opening of the Dawson Processing Plant in Bessborough, B.C. (CNW Group/Spectra Energy Corp.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120713_C8165_PHOTO_EN_16237.jpg

Image with caption: "Doug Bloom, President, Spectra Energy Transmission West at the Official Grand Opening of the Dawson Processing Plant speaks about Spectra Energy's commitment to investing in B.C. and the benefits natural gas brings to the province of B.C. (CNW Group/Spectra Energy Corp.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120713_C8165_PHOTO_EN_16239.jpg