Smith Ditches Crown Corporation Plan for Alberta Natural Gas Pipelines

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government is unlikely to create a Crown corporation for natural gas pipelines, despite a leaked cabinet report recommending such a move. The report suggested creating two Crown corporations to spur new natural gas transmission lines to meet demand from oil production and AI data centres.

The proposed solution would come with costs ranging from $53.9 million to $162.6 million, according to the report. Smith argued that building a major pipeline could have an even higher price tag in the billions.

TC Energy's Nova Gas Transmission Ltd., which owns and operates much of Alberta's natural gas transmission infrastructure, is expected to be at full capacity until 2029 with limited plans to expand after 2030.