In an unexpected move, the British Columbia government is backing a proposal to move more Alberta crude oil to the West Coast.Premier David Eby’s government is now championing a plan to significantly increase the capacity of the Ottawa-owned Trans Mountain pipeline by more than half a million barrels per day (b/d), with results targeted as early as 2026.This comes shortly after the Globe and Mail reported Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were closing in on an energy accord surrounding a pipeline from Alberta to the northwest coast of BC.BC’s new support for the Trans Mountain optimization plan is a countermeasure against a completely new pipeline and could see 510,000 b/d of capacity added.BC Energy Minister Adrian Dix is at the forefront of leading the proposal, calling a new pipeline “economic folly” and has urged Crown-owned utility BC Hydro to engage in talks with the pipeline company to support it.Dix argues that improving the existing, taxpayer-funded pipeline is the most logical path.“I actually thought this proposal [to optimize Trans Mountain] would be more meaningful to Alberta and to the federal government, because it’s demonstrably better in every possible way,” he said.Dix noted that the Trans Mountain expansion cost Canadians $34 billion, and the optimization could be achieved for roughly $4 billion.The cost of a new northern pipeline has not yet been determined, but experts say it would be more complex than the Trans Mountain expansion, which followed the route of the already existing pipeline..Trans Mountain looks to expand to 1.2 million bpd as Canadians support more pipelines.Alberta’s Energy Minister Brian Jean has expressed strong support for the proposal, saying in an emailed statement that maximizing the pipeline's capacity is "critical" for Alberta and Canada to benefit from global markets, and that the UCP government wants to see oil production double in the province by 2035.“Optimizing TMX, including dredging the port of Vancouver to allow tankers to operate at full capacity, is critical to maximizing the benefits that Alberta and Canada receive from accessing Asian and West Coast U.S. markets,” Jean said.“The best time to build a pipeline was 10 years ago, and the next best time is today.”The capacity increase is proposed through a three-part wish list, including adding approximately 30 kilometres of new 36-inch diameter pipe adjacent to existing lines, along with small improvements to infrastructure along the route, as well as 11 new pump stations to the main system.This could add about 360,000 b/d, with the province aiming to see its oil production double by 2035.A cheaper, quicker project also involves introducing drag-reducing agents to the line, with the potential to increase capacity by up to 10%, amounting to 90,000 b/d of additional flow by late 2026.A third project is still in the conceptual phase and would increase the volume of oil going through the 111-kilometre Puget Sound pipeline between Abbotsford, BC, and Skagit County, Wash., by up to 60,000 b/d by upgrading terminal infrastructure.Earlier this year, Trans Mountain chief executive Mark Maki told the Globe that, “We need to optimize the system that we have. That has to be a priority for us so we can get more capacity as early as 2026, and then a bit later in the decade.”
