A pipeline prior to being placed in the ground (Photo: dreamstime.com)

By Shaun Penner

NGTL North Corridor System Expansion

Peace Region pipeline expansion project granted federal approval

May 4, 2021 | 12:25 PM

The federal government has given the stamp of approval to the NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) North Corridor System Expansion Project in the northern Peace Region.

Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan made the announcement of the project’s approval Tuesday, saying the project must meet 37 binding conditions related to safety, environmental and wildlife protection, Indigenous engagement, and protection of Indigenous rights and interests.

Among those conditions, NGTL will need to create 786 hectares of land for caribou habitat, which is thirty times more habitat than will be impacted by the project.

NGTL will also be required to establish an Indigenous Working Group for the Red Earth and Chinchaga Caribou Ranges to ensure Indigenous involvement in their efforts to create new caribou habitat

“We want good projects to get done, moving our natural resources to new markets and creating jobs,” said O’Regan. “This means meeting our duty to meaningfully consult with potentially impacted Indigenous communities and addressing risks to the environment and species at risk, particularly.”

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The $632 million project will expand pipeline capacity for the transportation of natural gas from the Peace River Project area to northeastern Alberta, adding 81 kilometres of new pipe to the existing system in the following areas:

• The North Central Corridor (NCC) Loop: a 48-inch, 24-kilometre pipeline located approximately 20 km north of Manning in the County of Northern Lights.
• The NCC Loop (Red Earth Section 3): a 48-inch, 32 km pipeline located approximately 45 km north of Red Earth Creek in the County of Northern Lights and the MD of Opportunity.
• The Northwest Mainline (NWML) Loop No. 2: a 36-inch, 25 km pipeline located 50 km southwest of Worsley in Clear Hills County.
• A 30-megawatt unit addition at the existing Hidden Lake North Compressor Station, approximately 100 km north of Worsley.
  The areas highlighted in red denote the areas of expansion for the project (Courtesy of TC Energy)

The project is anticipated to create $307 million in labour income and create approximately 1,740 full-time jobs during construction.

The project will also provide natural gas producers and shippers with greater access to domestic and U.S. markets, helping to contribute to the phase out of coal fired electricity by 2030.

According to the TC Energy website, who is the owner of the project, construction could be completed as early as the first quarter of 2023, when the project components would be brought into service.

This approval further expands onto the NGTL system, after the federal government approved the 2021 system expansion back in October. That expansion will add 344 kilometres of pipeline to send sweet natural gas from the Montney and Duvernay formations in the Grande Prairie area to the Calgary area.

READ MORE: Grande Prairie area pipeline expansion gets federal approval