VANCOUVER - A German utility has signed a long-term agreement to buy one million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year from the yet-to-be-built Ksi Lisims project in northern British Columbia as European countries look to lock down reliable fuel supplies in a turbulent geopolitical landscape.

Deliveries to German government-owned company Securing Energy for Europe, or SEFE, are to begin in the early 2030s and cover a period of up to 20 years, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson told a news conference in Vancouver on Wednesday.