$34B Trans Mountain expansion pipeline begins filling with oil with first shipments before Canada Day

After 12 years and $34 billion, the Trans Mountain expansion project is nearing the finish line. The odyssey of developing and building the Trans Mountain expansion project in Western Canada is finally nearing the finishing line as sections of the pipeline begin filling with oil. The first export shipment will happen before Canada Day, the federal Crown corporation said, although Alberta’s premier expects it could become operational as soon as May. The Trans Mountain is Canada’s only oil pipeline to the West Coast. The project will transport oil from Alberta to the West Coast and triple the amount of crude that is shipped on an existing pipeline, from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 bpd.
Canadian oil prices are expected to increase once the new project is completed. Court challenges, regulatory hurdles, multiple protests and constant delays are all part of the history of the project, which began more than a decade ago.
Then there’s the cost.
When the federal government stepped in to purchase the project six years ago and rescue it from life support, the estimated price tag was $7.4 billion. Today, expenses are $34 billion. Source:cbc.ca/news