Canada approves Horn River Pipeline project for BC shale gas
05 February 2011
Canada’s National Energy Board has given regulatory approval to TransCanada Corporation’s Horn River pipeline project. TransCanada expects British Columbia (BC) shale gas supplies to climb to more than five billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) by the end of the decade and the Horn River pipeline will be the company’s second major pipeline connecting its Alberta System with this supply.
The first extension of the Alberta System into BC was the Groundbirch pipeline, which came into service in December 2010.
TransCanada’s approximately $310 million, 155-kilometer Horn River pipeline consists of a new 36-inch pipeline and acquisition of an existing 24-inch pipeline. The project will provide service for Alberta System gas transportation contracts that grow to more than 630 million cubic feet per day by 2014.
Horn River and Groundbirch shippers have committed to Alberta System transportation contracts that will reach 1.9 bcf/d by 2014. This will help offset the recent decline in conventional Western Canada Sedimentary Basin volumes and contribute to higher throughput and lower tolls on downstream pipelines including the Canadian Mainline.
TransCanada has put into service six major projects in the last 10 months. The Keystone Pipeline System Phase 1 is delivering oil; the North Central Corridor, Groundbirch and Bison natural gas pipelines are all moving gas to market; Maine’s largest wind project—Kibby Wind—became fully operational in late October; and the Halton Hills Generating Station in Ontario began producing power in the fall of 2010.
TransCanada will continue bringing large-scale projects into service in the coming months including Keystone Phase 2, the Coolidge Generating Station in Arizona and the Guadalajara natural gas pipeline in Mexico.
surprised to note so little interest into this BC to Alta SG pipeline.
This is a prerequisite to sustained Alberta tar sands increased production and export to USA.
More NG/SG is required to extract oil from tar sands and BC may be the lowest cost way of doing it.
Posted by: HarveyD | 05 February 2011 at 05:50 PM
BC continues to sell off its natural resources while its people get nothing for it. BC has abundant natural resources that beneifit very few - while fisheries and forestry, paper, and manufacturing close - the oil, gas and mining industries export BC`s wealth.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 06 February 2011 at 09:15 PM
BC shale gas operations are not located close to farms, villages or cities and damages to the local environment will have less effects than in the St-Lawrence valley populated areas.
Posted by: HarveyD | 08 February 2011 at 10:07 AM