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Project profile – Trans Mountain pipeline
Trans Mountain pipeline
Project facts and figures
The twinning of the 1,150 km pipeline Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP) from Edmonton to Burnaby at a projected cost of $7.4 billion involves 980 km of new pipeline and reactivating 193 km of existing pipeline. Originally completed in 1953, it was designed to move crude oil and refined products. The TMEP once completed will allow for a 300% increase in capacity over the current 300,000 barrel per day (bpd) to move refined, semi-refined, and crude oil products in a process known as ‘Batch Train’.
Moving approximately 900,000 bpd at a flow rate of 8 km per hour will require an elaborate network infrastructure comprising 23 electric-powered pumping stations located at varying intervals. Four terminals located in Edmonton, Kamloops, Abbotsford, and Burnaby will have storage tanks for incoming feeder pipeline and tanker loading facilities. At each pump station, equipment monitors, leak alarm detection devices, and containment system features are incorporated for 24/7 monitoring from the Control Centre in Edmonton, using Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software.
In addition to the automated features, local operators and maintenance personnel will inspect the facilities regularly and perform various types of preventative maintenance to ensure the pipeline integrity. The TMEP consists of 827 km of 24" pipe, 150 km of 36" pipe and 170km of 30" pipe. The TMEP is subject to meeting 156 conditions by the National Energy Board under the project’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity.
The constructability challenges and installation logistics through nine separate communities is impressive. The communities impacted along the route are identified as Greater Edmonton, Yellowhead, Jasper Mount Robson Reactivation, Northern Thompson, West Barriere Reactivation, CoquihallaHope, Fraser Valley, and the Lower Mainland.
The construction installation techniques will vary with most of the route using a conventional open trench ‘baselay’ approach. Trenchless boring or horizontal directional drilling (HDD) will be deployed at roads, railways and select watercourse crossings and, at some water crossings, dam and pump techniques may be necessary.
A strong commitment to the engagement of the First Nations People – under the Indigenous Engagement Program previously undertaken by Kinder Morgan and now the TMEP consortium – has resulted in 33 BC and 10 AB Indigenous groups signing agreements or providing Letters of Support endorsing the project. In Alberta, the existing pipeline and corridor crosses Treaty 6 territory, Treaty 8 Territory and the Metis Nation of Alberta (Zone 4). In British Columbia 15 First Nation Reserve Lands are impacted by the TMEP.
The project group/stakeholder communications have involved conducting over 215 open houses or workshops and 1,800 meetings to solicit feedback and address concerns. Extensive work has gone into identifying potential environmental impacts to wetlands, parks, and 22 river crossings, and implementing various mitigation measures such as increasing the number of
isolation valves from 94 to 126. A $150 million investment is targeted for the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation to create new response bases along the tanker route, and to fund new equipment to increase response capabilities.
The Conference Board of Canada estimates that over $46 billion in new tax revenue and royalties will be generated in the first 20 years. The windfall to the producers could contribute an extra $73 billion in revenue. Community Benefit Agreements with various communities living along the pipeline corridor totaling $8.6 million have been negotiated.
The project is expected to create more than 800,000 direct and indirect person years of employment. Construction workers could spend close to $500 million on food, lodging and accommodation over the three years of construction activity. With so much prosperity, intellectual engineering, consulting services, and skilled trade capital at stake, unlocking increased access to the world global markets is critical. Shipping from the BC coast to the Asian market is also a significantly shorter travel distance and shipping transport cost than through the Strait of Hormuz.
The advent of improved fracking techniques stateside has turned Canada’s number one energy market customer into their number one energy competitor. It just so happens the TMEP development potential happens to intersect simultaneously with global environmental awareness on the carbon footprint. Perhaps a healthy debate around cutting the global carbon footprint of oil tanker traffic or the cost spending almost $19.5 Billion in Canada this past year on imported foreign oil might help move the needle in favour of the project.
About the author
Jerry Crawford PMP, PQS, GSC, is the founder and principal director of KGC Consulting Services Ltd. working with clients to provide construction dispute litigation support on transportation, energy, commercial, industrial, multi-family residential, civil, and building infrastructure projects.
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