The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) has approved Trans Mountain Corp.’s application to place its 590,000-b/d expansion project in service. The expansion largely parallels the route of the existing 300,000-b/d Trans Mountain crude oil pipeline from its Edmonton terminal, Strathcona County, Alta., to the Westridge marine terminal in Burnaby, BC.
The expansion included 988 km of new pipeline, 193 km of reactivated pipeline, 12 new pump stations, 19 new storage tanks (split between Edmonton and Burnaby), and three new berths at Westridge. Tankers will be able to load Line 2 crude from all three new berths by mid-May.
Line fill is under way and will be completed “within the next few weeks,” according to Trans Mountain. As of Apr. 30, 2024—2 weeks after line fill began—the expansion was 70% full by volume and 69% full by distance.
Trans Mountain must restore any remaining disturbed land to its original appearance and provide CER with post-construction environmental monitoring reports. The expansion is also subject to 156 conditions relating, among other things, to environmental protection, pipeline integrity and security, relations with Aboriginal people, socio-economic issues, management of emergency situations, worker accommodation, and financial guarantees.
CER will continue to monitor Trans Mountain during commissioning and subsequent operation. During operation, CER will conduct compliance verification activities, including in-depth inspections and audits of the management system, to ensure the safety of the pipeline.