Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, said the Government of Canada’s decided to accept the National Energy Board’s recommendation to approve the North Montney Mainline Pipeline project, subject to 45 conditions.
The North Montney Mainline Pipeline proposal was submitted by Nova Gas Transmission to the NEB for review in 2013. The $1.7-billion project will transport natural gas from northeastern British Columbia to the existing NGTL system, where it can be sold to markets in Alberta and, through a separate pipeline, to the proposed Pacific NorthWest LNG terminal.
In April 2015, the NEB found that with the 45 terms and conditions imposed, the project is in the public interest. No project will be approved without meeting the highest standards for public safety and environmental protection.
After carefully reviewing the report, the Government accepts the independent panel’s recommendation to approve NGTL’s North Montney proposal, Rickford said.
The NEB is responsible for life-cycle regulation of the 73,000 kilometres of pipelines transporting crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products across Canada.
The proposed 42-inch North Montney pipeline would have initial gas transportation capacity of 2.1 billion cubic feet per day. NGTL must next demonstrate to the NEB how it will meet the necessary conditions before construction can begin. This includes requirements to engage further with Aboriginal groups and local communities on efforts to mitigate project impacts.
Image: TransCanada