The Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) said the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion’s completion is Canada’s moment to celebrate a milestone achievement. While flooding, fires, and legal action threatened to sideline the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion, PCA President and CEO Paul de Jong said it “mattered too much not to finish.”“After years of delays and a rollercoaster ride to get here, it’s finally time to recognize what this pipeline means to Canadians,” said de Jong in a Tuesday press release. PCA said twinning the Trans Mountain Pipeline between the Edmonton area and Burnaby, BC, allows the system to triple its capacity to 890,000 barrels per day. It added it opens up new markets for Canada’s oil, providing energy security and generating billions in additional revenue for all three levels of government. As it has been built, it has generated 35,000 jobs to date, supported local communities, promoted new and lasting partnerships, and provided opportunities to train new workers. The Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion was first announced in 2012. Since then, it has undergone the most rigorous design, consultation and environmental approvals process in Canadian regulatory history and has met each and every requirement.“We’re incredibly proud of our member companies and their workers,” said de Jong. “They achieved great feats in engineering and construction mastery in order to move the pipeline around communities and through the diverse terrain of mountainous regions and waterways.”The Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion geared up on Tuesday to ship its first barrel of Alberta crude oil to tidewater on Wednesday. READ MORE: MAY DAY: Trans Mountain expansion set to ship its first barrel starting WednesdayChinese and American buyers lined up to get their hands on Alberta crude oil. Reliance Industries became the latest to sign up to buy about two million barrels for delivery in July.
