Canadian regulator approved Trans Mountain pipeline route change over delay concerns (updated)

Canada Energy Partners

20/10/2023 18:17

(Updates with more details, background)
       Oct 20 (Reuters) - The Canada Energy Regulator (CER)
said on Friday that it approved a route change application for
the expansion of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline because
continuing to use micro-tunnelling construction techniques could
delay completion by at least 10 months.
    "This delay could result in an estimated C$2 billion($1.46
billion) of lost revenue for Trans Mountain and cause negative
impacts on shippers and other parties," CER said.   
    The CER granted a route change request for the Canadian
government-owned Trans Mountain project late in September for a
deviation on a 1.3-kilometre (0.8 mile) section of pipeline near
Kamloops, British Columbia. It did not release its reasons for
the decision until now.
     Trans Mountain's proposal to divert the pipeline through a
different area nearby was opposed by the Stk'emlupsemc te
Secwepemc Nation First Nation, whose territory it crosses.    
    Once operational, Trans Mountain will ship an extra 590,000
barrels per day of crude to Canada's Pacific Coast, opening up
Asian and U.S. West Coast markets to oil producers. It is
expected to start operating late in the first quarter of 2024.
    

($1 = 1.3688 Canadian dollars)

 (Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Rod
Nickel)
 ((Ashitha.Shivaprasad@thomsonreuters.com;))