While Alberta deals with raging wildfires, British Columbia is coping with the threat of severe flooding..Calgary-based TC Energy announced Tuesday it's “proactively” halted work on Section 3 of the $14.5-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline north of Prince George after receiving stop work orders from the BC government on a 20-km section amid fears of increased erosion stemming from a “challenging” spring melt season.. Coastal GasLink map .”Spring melt” — or breakup as it’s called in Alberta — refers to the time of year when construction work, such as pipe installation, is reduced due to soft ground conditions caused by melting snow and thawing ground conditions. .Two weeks prior to the latest orders being issued, the company said it halted the majority of construction in the area, including what it deemed non-critical work, “out of an abundance of caution.”. Coastal GasLink construction .However, it is allocating additional erosion and sediment control crews to perform critical work that would otherwise impact the environment if paused, it added..BC has some of the most challenging geotechnical conditions in North America for everything from roads to pipeline construction. Fast-changing mountain conditions at higher elevations increase the risk for floods in lower valley bottoms. Like many parts of BC, the project route experienced high volumes of snow on steep slopes last winter. . Coastal Gas Link flooding .In the latest segment, CGL said crews hauled 5,000 truckloads of snow off the project route and are working to protect watercourses. The work has been made more challenging with the recent spike in temperature and exceptionally high rainfall in the region..Construction on the 670-km line, which will connect prolific natural gas fields in Alberta and northeastern BC to the $40-billion Canada LNG terminal at Kitimat, is about 87% complete and is expected to be finished by the end of this year, the company said..In its latest construction update, TC said 85% of all water crossings — some 625 in all — had been completed and more than 567 km of pipe had been installed, with 94% welded. Access to the Headwall, one of the steepest slopes on the route, is now complete..It’s equally clear why the company is being so careful..Since construction began in 2019, the pipeline has been cited more than 50 times for potential environmental infractions that have resulted in more than $450,000 in fines. In April, the BC Energy Regulator opened an investigation into two spills of clay lubricant while it was tunnelling under a salmon-bearing stream called the Morice River.. Coastal GasLink damage .That’s in addition to protests — some violent — and court challenges that have dogged and delayed construction. .In February 2022, a CGL worksite was attacked by what RCMP called “anarchists” who ransacked a mobile construction trailer and destroyed heavy machinery. So far no arrests have been made. The RCMP has reportedly spent about $30 million to police the line according to a CBC report.. Coastal Gas link damage .In February of this year the company increased the cost of the line to $14.5 billion from $11.2 billion, took a one-time $3 billion impairment charge and warned of another $1.4 billion hit if the project is delayed to 2024. When construction began in 2019 it was projected to cost $6.6 billion.
