Start-up status
The plant produced its first LNG and shipped its first cargo in June 2025; the second train was reported to begin operating in November 2025.
LNG Canada is a liquefied natural gas export terminal at Kitimat on the British Columbia coast, with two trains and an initial 14 million tonnes per year. Gas handling, liquefaction and ship loading create Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas. Distribution partners for LNG Canada, Kitimat are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. LNG Canada, Kitimat has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Ex marking | Group, category, protection concept, gas group, temperature class | II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4 (target) |
| Gas group | IIA, IIB or IIC matched to the area drawing | IIC (target) |
| Temperature class | T-class below the ignition temperature of the gas | T4, 135 °C (target) |
| Where it applies | LNG Canada, Kitimat: Gas receipt from pipeline, Marine loading jetty, LNG liquefaction trains | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Kitimat LNG. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
The plant produced its first LNG and shipped its first cargo in June 2025; the second train was reported to begin operating in November 2025.
Gas arrives from the Montney Formation via the 670 km Coastal GasLink pipeline, built and operated by TC Energy.
Engineering and construction supervision was awarded to a joint venture of JGC Corporation of Japan and Fluor Corporation, called JGC Fluor, which shaped the contractor structure on site.
LNG carriers sail up and down the Douglas Channel to the port of Kitimat to load, mainly for Asian markets, using a new carrier terminal connected to the liquefaction and storage plant.
The plant produced its first LNG and shipped its first cargo in June 2025, the second train started in November 2025 and by 23 February 2026 it had shipped 50 cargoes.
Gas arrives via the 670 km Coastal GasLink pipeline built by TC Energy, with an initial capacity of about 2.1 billion cubic feet a day and potential expansion to about 5 billion.
“Ex-proof” is shorthand for equipment carrying an explosion-protection marking (the Ex mark) that matches the area it enters. The marking states the protection concept, gas or dust group and temperature class, and it must be backed by a certificate issued by a recognised body, so a phone described as Ex-proof should come with a certificate number you can check.
The IS-04Z1 is designed to carry the marking II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4. That is a target: certification is in progress, no certificate has been issued, and SAMS will publish the certificate numbers when they exist.
In LNG Canada, Kitimat. Natural gas is the hydrocarbon here, and a marking check would compare the gas group and temperature class on the device with the operator's area data for liquefaction and gas receipt. The IS-04Z1 target marking is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4, subject to certification and the operator's acceptance.
A distributor for LNG Canada, Kitimat would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
The marking target is II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4. It becomes a marking only when the certificate is issued; until then it is a design target.
Likely candidates are lng liquefaction trains, lng storage and loading, gas receipt from pipeline, marine loading jetty. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for LNG Canada, Kitimat.
It shipped its first cargo in June 2025 and a second train started later that year, so work is moving from construction to operations, with expansion discussed. Confirm the current phase and contractor structure with the owners.
JGC Fluor led engineering and construction, and TC Energy built the Coastal GasLink pipeline. Operations contractors now vary, so confirm the current inductions and approved-device lists with LNG Canada's contractor management team.
The plant produced its first LNG and shipped its first cargo in June 2025, and the second train was reported to begin operating in November 2025. Further trains have been proposed as a possible second phase, so construction and commissioning activity may continue. Confirm current status with the project operator.
More on Kitimat LNG, and on other places in Canada.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.