A pipeline expansion able to relieve a looming production bottleneck in the Alberta oil sands faces new opposition after a change of government in British Columbia.
The Liberal Party, which has governed the province for 16 years, will be replaced by a coalition of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and Green Party.
The outcome was expected after the Liberals, led by Christy Clark, won an election May 9 but failed by one seat to win a majority.
Clark offered to resign as premier on June 29 as her government lost a vote of confidence. NDP Leader John Horgan will become premier.
The NDP-Green coalition, with a one-seat majority, has vowed to block expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, BC, on the Pacific Coast.
Christy supported the 715-mile twinning project, which is to nearly triple capacity to 890,000 b/d. The federal government approved the expansion last November.
Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. plans to start construction in September.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers warned recently that future production gains in Canada, dominated by Alberta, will be constrained by transportation capacity if pipelines are not built or expanded (OGJ Online, June 14, 2017).