Smith Ditches Crown Corporation Plan for Alberta Natural Gas Pipelines

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has expressed skepticism about creating a Crown corporation to build out natural gas pipelines in the province. The proposal was recently leaked, recommending that the government move forward with legislation and establish Crown corporations to spur new natural gas transmission lines.

The goal is to meet the demand for oil production and artificial intelligence data centers. However, Smith argues that the issue is not a lack of infrastructure but rather the monopoly held by TC Energy in the Alberta natural gas market.

She claims that her government has heard from dozens of companies concerned about access to natural gas, but believes there's enough private sector interest to make public sector intervention unnecessary. The premier also dismissed concerns that government intervention could drive up energy prices, stating that a limited supply of natural gas will lead to higher bills for Albertans.