Energy firm TransCanada has secured approval from the Alberta Energy Regulator to build and operate the $800m Northern Courier pipeline project in Canada.
Fort Hills Energy selected TransCanada to design, construct, own and operate the project, which is contracted under a long-term agreement.
The 90km pipeline system will transport bitumen and diluent products between the Fort Hills mine and bitumen extraction facility and Suncor’s East Tank Farm, situated north of Fort McMurray in Alberta.
The project will feature a 24in-diameter insulated steel pipeline to transport bitumen, and a 12in-diameter steel pipeline to transport diluent.
TransCanada president and chief executive officer Russ Girling said: "We are pleased that the Alberta Energy Regulator has approved Northern Courier, which will be a critical piece of infrastructure to support the long-term plans for growth and increased production from the Alberta oil sands. We currently expect construction on Northern Courier to begin in the third quarter of 2014, with it being ready for service by 2017."
TransCanada said that Northern Courier is an important component of its capital growth plan, which includes $38bn of commercially secured projects that are planned to be completed by the end of 2020. Of the total amount, $3.5bn in projects are planned to expand TransCanada’s liquids pipeline network in the Alberta province.
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By GlobalDataThe developments include the proposed Grand Rapids and Heartland pipeline projects, and new storage terminal facilities at Hardisty and in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland region northeast of Edmonton.
