Terasen Gas is not in the exploration or production side of the natural gas business, and we don't own or control natural gas reserves or production.

 

We buy gas on the open market on behalf of approximately 920,000 customers and pass it along without markup.

 

We are a natural gas delivery utility. We make our profits from the delivery of natural gas.

Gas marketers, too, purchase their gas on the open market. They then sell that gas to their customers. Gas marketers use a variety of buying strategies to acquire long-term, fixed-price natural gas contracts. They then offer the fixed-price gas to customers using different pricing arrangements.

 

Gas marketers earn their profit from the commodity.

The rights to BC's natural gas reserves are owned by the provincial government.

 

As well as charging oil and gas companies fees for the right to explore and test for the presence of natural gas, the government also earns a royalty on every gigajoule of gas sold, based on the market price.

 

When the market price rises, the government makes more money. As the largest single contributor to provincial revenues, natural gas royalties contribute to the health, education and general well being of all British Columbians.

 

The exploration and production companies are a who's who of the energy industry.

 

Many are Canadian:

Others are international: