Pacific Link Pipeline Gets National Interest Designation from Ottawa

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast will be designated a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act. The approximately 1,250-kilometer pipeline would carry over one million barrels of crude oil per day from Bruderheim, Alta., to a port near Delta, B.C.

The project is estimated to cost between $35.2 billion and $43.7 billion and will be split between Trans Mountain Corp. and the Alberta government. Indigenous communities will have a minimum 10% ownership interest, financed through federal and provincial loan programs. Pembina Pipeline Corporation has offered its expertise as a private sector investor.

The pipeline's designation as a project of national interest means that the federal major projects office will work to finalize conditions by September 1, 2027. Carney stated that this is an 'important day for Alberta and for Canada.' The project aims to provide a new export route for Canadian oil to international markets.