Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel says Ottawa would need to make a lot of changes before his company would be willing to build the West Coast bitumen pipeline the Alberta government is pitching.
In a speech to the Empire Club of Canada, Ebel repeated industry leaders’ call for an end to the federal tanker ban on the northern B.C. coast, emissions cap and industrial carbon price, among other items.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is putting up $14 million for early planning work on a pipeline that it hopes the private sector will eventually take over, with potential Indigenous ownership.
A committee that includes Enbridge and other industry, political and Indigenous players will advise on the specifics of a proposal, including its route to the northern B.C. coast.
No company has stepped forward to actually build the pipeline. No route has been determined, but Smith has said a pipeline should go to the Port of Prince Rupert in northern B.C.
Alberta is to act as the project proponent and aims to file a regulatory application to the new federal Major Projects Office in the spring.
Ebel says there’s a good reason the Alberta government is stepping up to spearhead the project in its early stages.
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“The previous government’s tanker ban effectively makes that export pipeline illegal,” he said.
“No company would build a pipeline to nowhere.”
“The tanker ban is a great example of how things will have to change to allow our country to maximize its economic potential. Let markets and real demand guide routes and capacities while government focuses on enabling the conditions for success.”
Meanwhile, analysts at CIBC are casting doubt on Alberta’s pipeline plans bearing fruit.
“While we applaud Alberta Premier Smith’s efforts to promote the energy industry through the development of a new liquids pipeline to the West Coast, we are doubtful in the success of such a plan,” they wrote.
“While we remain open-minded to the possibility, the political and economic realities may be difficult to overcome, as evidenced by industry experience with similar projects, including Northern Gateway, Keystone XL and Energy East.”
— More to come…
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