Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) has received approval from the Canadian government for the Towerbirch Expansion Project in northwest Alberta and northeast British Columbia.
NGTL, a subsidiary of TransCanada Corp., said the $439-million (Can.) project includes 55 km of 36-in. pipeline that will parallel the existing NGTL Groundbirch mainline and a 32-km Tower Lake section of 30-in. line that will parallel existing third-party pipelines.
The project also includes four receipt meter stations and expansion of an existing meter station. Facilities are expected to be in-service in the fourth quarter (OGJ Online, Nov. 17, 2015).
Jim Carr, Canada’s minister of natural resources, said the project will create as many as 750 jobs during construction, address the need for increased natural gas transmission capacity along the existing NGTL system, and support economic growth. About 82% of the project will parallel existing rights-of-way or “existing disturbances.” The approval includes 24 binding conditions.
Carr said the government took into consideration the National Energy Board’s recommendation report on the project, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s assessment of upstream greenhouse gas emissions, the views of Canadians gathered through an online questionnaire, and consultations with indigenous peoples.