Canadian utility plans natural gas pipeline in Alberta

The company, which is majority-owned by ATCO, said the Yellowhead mainline project would include a 200-kilometre (124-mile) pipeline extending from Piers, Alberta, to Edmonton and associated control and compression facilities.

The pipeline development comes in response to Alberta's industrial expansion and population growth, as well as increased demand for gas from offshore buyers as Canada's first liquefied natural gas export terminal comes online next year.

“Both of these stories are very important as we think about the growth of not only Alberta's economy but Canada's economy,” Wayne Stensby, chief operating officer of ATCO Energy Systems, said in an interview.

Dow, which will be the pipeline's largest user, is investing $6.5 billion to expand its ethylene cracker and polyethylene production capacity in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, where some of the carbon emissions will be captured and sequestered. .

The pipeline is subject to regulatory approval in Alberta and a final investment decision by the Canadian utility. Canadian utilities are not seeking government assistance, Stensby said.

Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with completion expected by the end of 2027.

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World Pipelines May 2024 issue

The May 2024 issue of World Pipelines features our annual feature focused on pipelines in extreme environments (with input from Michels, Vacuworx, and RMI). A keynote section on pipelines and the environment covers methane emissions, new CO2 transport options, and green energy supply technologies. Also in this issue, we ask EMPIT GmbH about the trial of a new in-line inspection tool (STATS Group): Is DCVG inspection obsolete?