Photo: Contributed

First Nations groups are planning to file a lawsuit Thursday against the federal government and Malaysian state-owned oil firm Petronas in an attempt to stop a liquefied natural gas project on British Columbia's northern coast.

The $36-billion Pacific NorthWest LNG project which includes a pipeline and terminal proposed for Lelu Island, near Prince Rupert, received conditional approval from the federal government last month.

Chief Negotiator of the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs Glen Williams says the project could have a severe impact on communities in the area by destroying habitat for local salmon stock.

Williams says Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs want the Federal Court to declare that proper consultation with First Nations did not occur, and subsequently cancel approval for the project.

He says he hopes a B.C. Supreme Court judgment that blocked the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline earlier this year because First Nations weren't properly consulted will set a precedent for success in this suit.

A spokesperson for Pacific NorthWest LNG was not immediately available for comment on the First Nations claim.