Alberta has formally proposed a new oil pipeline to the southwest coast of British Columbia using a southern route [1].
The project represents a significant shift in energy infrastructure strategy, aiming to bypass environmental hurdles in northern British Columbia while opening direct access to Asian markets for Canadian bitumen [2].
Announced on Thursday, July 2, 2024 [3], the proposal describes a public-private partnership involving Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney [4]. The project is being developed in partnership with the Trans Mountain Corporation, a federal Crown corporation, and Pembina Pipeline Corp [4].
The proposed pipeline would originate near Bruderheim, Alberta, and travel southward through southern British Columbia [5]. The route terminates on the B.C. coast, approximately one mile from Washington State waters [5].
Officials estimate the cost of the project will be $35 billion or more [6]. Once operational, the pipeline would have the capacity to transport up to one million barrels of crude per day [7].
Alberta officials said the southern route was selected to avoid the environmental concerns associated with northern B.C. regions [2]. They also said the arrangement creates economic benefits for both the province and the federal government, who would act as equal partners [2].
"We are equal partners in this project and will work together to get this pipeline built," Mark Carney and Danielle Smith said [8].
“The project represents a significant shift in energy infrastructure strategy.”
This proposal signals a strategic pivot to leverage southern geography to reduce the regulatory and environmental friction that stalled previous pipeline projects in northern British Columbia. By framing the project as a public-private partnership with the federal government as an equal stakeholder, Alberta is attempting to secure high-level political alignment and financial backing to ensure the bitumen can reach Pacific ports.
