The Alberta authorities is poised to make an announcement about its plans for a brand new West Coast oil pipeline later this week.
Sam Blackett, press secretary to Premier Danielle Smith, says there will likely be a “main announcement” on Thursday to share new particulars concerning the province’s submission to the federal main tasks workplace.
The main tasks workplace was established a yr in the past to hurry alongside infrastructure deemed in Canada’s nationwide curiosity.
Alberta is performing as a proponent for a brand new pipeline that might carry as much as a million barrels per day from the oilsands to a yet-to-be-determined West Coast port for tanker export to Asia.
Beneath a federal-provincial power accord signed final yr, Ottawa’s help for the pipeline is contingent upon the constructing of the large Pathways carbon seize and storage mission that might offset a number of the emissions impression from elevated oilsands manufacturing.
Dennis McConaghy, an writer and retired pipeline government, says the destiny of the pipeline rests largely with the CEOs of the 5 largest oilsands corporations whose manufacturing can be wanted to fill the brand new pipeline and who, as of now, are companions within the Pathways mission.
He says these corporations can be laborious pressed to signal on as shippers on a brand new oilsands pipeline as long as they’re topic to greater local weather prices within the type of the economic carbon tax and requirement to spend tens of billions of {dollars} on Pathways.
“The personal sector can finance this whether it is assured that they are going to be allowed to go ahead on these expansions with rational local weather coverage,” McConaghy mentioned.
“Producers should not going to climb on with out, I feel at a minimal, a major about face by (Prime Minister) Mark Carney, which I don’t suppose will occur — at the least not within the brief run.”
The Alberta authorities is aiming for the pipeline being designated a mission of nationwide curiosity by October and getting shovels within the floor as early as September 2027.
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