Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC – Trans Mountain Expansion Project

Project Background

On December 16, 2013, Trans Mountain submitted an application [Folder 2392873] to the National Energy Board (NEB) for the Trans Mountain Expansion project (the Project). The Project includes:

• Pipeline facilities that complete a twinning of the existing 1147 km Trans Mountain pipeline system in Alberta and British Columbia, with about 991 km of new buried pipeline;
• New and modified facilities, such as pump stations and tanks;
• Additional tanker loading facilities at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby;
• Reactivation of 193 km of pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby; and
• Increasing Trans Mountain’s shipping capacity from 300,000 bbl/d to 890,000 bbl/d

On November 29, 2016, Governor in Council directed the NEB to issue a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Project.

On August 30, 2018, the Federal Court of Appeal released a decision that quashed the Order in Council approving the Project, and nullified the Certificate issued by the NEB for the Project.

The NEB imposed 156 conditions on the Project and made 16 new recommendations to the Government of Canada. The recommendations relate to matters that fall outside of the NEB’s regulatory mandate, but within the authority of the Government of Canada. On June 18, 2019, GoverNo. in Council directed the NEB to issue a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Project. [more]

Conditions

The Government of Canada has approved the Project subject to 156 conditions.

While Canadians mostly hear about the CER’s involvement at the beginning of a project, we regulate federal energy infrastructure throughout its entire lifecycle. We do not simply make a decision on a project and walk away. When approved projects are being built and operated, we inspect and audit them. When a pipeline has reached the end of its usefulness, we hold a hearing to ensure that it is abandoned in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

In other words, the CER regulates from “start to finish”, which can span the course of many decades. And we hold pipeline companies responsible for the full lifecycle of the pipelines they operate [more].

Detailed Route

All detailed route hearings for the project are now completed, though certain decisions are pending [more].

Leave to open applications

Before a pipeline or section of a pipeline can operate, companies need to apply for and be granted leave to open (LTO). The Commission must be satisfied that the pipeline is safe to use before it will grant LTO orders to a company.

Trans Mountain has applied for a series of LTO orders, and received approval for all 42 applications. The company’s LTO applications reflect pipeline spreads and facilities such as pump stations or tanks [more].