NOVA Gas Transmission (NGTL) has secured approval from the Canadian government for its West Path Delivery 2023 (WP2023) pipeline project in Alberta, Canada.
According to the Canadian government, its approval follows a stringent assessment from the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). It comes with 34 binding conditions pertaining to environmental protection and the participation of Indigenous people in monitoring, safety, and integrity, among others.
The WP2023 project will see the addition of nearly 40km of new natural gas pipeline in southwestern Alberta to the existing 25,000km long NGTL system.
NGTL is a natural gas gathering and transportation system spanning Alberta and northeastern British Columbia, which has been operating since 1957. It is a fully-owned subsidiary of TransCanada PipeLines (TPCL), which in turn is an affiliate of TC Energy.
Natural Resources Canada stated: “Twenty-five Indigenous groups in Alberta and British Columbia participated in the CER’s Crown consultation process and several shared traditional knowledge and feedback on the project during the Commission of the CER’s hearing process.
“The Government of Canada remains committed to working with industry, provincial and territorial governments, and Indigenous groups to ensure the long-term competitiveness of Canada’s natural resource industries as we move toward our net-zero-by-2050 target.”
WP2023 is one of the four projects that make up the C$1.2bn ($890m) West Path Delivery Program, which will be implemented within Alberta and British Columbia. The West Path Delivery Program was announced by TC Energy in November 2019.
The objective of the West Path Delivery Program is to connect the NGTL and Foothills Systems to the $335m GTN XPress project to provide the volumes to downstream markets.
Natural Resources Canada said that the WP2023 pipeline project will help cope with the demand in major export markets in the US, including Washington, California, and Oregon. Besides, the pipeline extension project will increase market access for Canadian natural gas, said the Canadian government department.
