Ottawa has approved Enbridge’s $4-billion Sunrise gas pipeline expansion in B.C., a project tied to Canada’s push to move more energy to market.
Ottawa has approved Enbridge Inc.’s $4-billion Sunrise natural gas pipeline expansion in British Columbia, clearing the way for a major addition to the company’s Westcoast system and supporting Canada’s push to move more energy to domestic and export markets.
Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson announced the approval Friday, saying the project fits with the federal government’s effort to get major projects built more quickly. Construction is expected to begin this summer, with startup targeted for late 2028.
The project would add 300 million cubic feet per day of transportation capacity to Enbridge’s Westcoast system, which currently carries 3.6 billion cubic feet per day and connects gas fields in northeastern B.C. and northwestern Alberta to the Canada-U.S. border. The expansion involves 11 looping segments built parallel to the existing line, adding almost 140 kilometres of new pipe.
The main figures attached to the project describe different things: Enbridge’s plan is valued at $4 billion, while the 3.6-billion-cubic-feet-per-day and 300-million-cubic-feet-per-day numbers refer to the existing system’s capacity and the new capacity Sunrise would add.
Hodgson said the project would help supply gas for building heat, power generation, industrial uses and LNG. He said it is expected to add more than $3 billion to Canada’s GDP and create about 2,500 jobs at peak construction.
“For too long, we became accustomed to mistaking delay for seriousness,” Hodgson said during a speech in Toronto. “But seriousness is not measured by how long a country takes to make decisions; it is measured by whether those decisions are thoughtful, credible and made in a time frame that actually matters.”
Matthew Akman, who leads Enbridge’s gas transmission and midstream business, told reporters the gas carried by the expanded line is not committed to one destination, though “some of the capacity will no doubt go offshore.” He said all of the space on the planned Sunrise expansion has already been spoken for.
The project was not reviewed under federal legislation passed last year to speed up infrastructure considered in the national interest. Akman said he welcomed what he described as a stronger sense of purpose from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government, while also saying companies need rigorous reviews and consultation to move faster.
B.C. Premier David Eby welcomed the approval, saying in a news release that the expansion is positive for jobs in the province and would help support public services. Last year, Enbridge reached a partnership with an alliance of three dozen First Nations in B.C. for a 12.5 per cent ownership stake in the existing Westcoast pipeline; Akman said those groups have the option, but not the obligation, to take an equity stake in the expansion.
The approval also drew criticism from environmental advocates. Alex Walker, energy analytics program director with Environmental Defence Canada, called the decision “a disastrous climate decision that prioritizes fossil fuel industry growth over Canada’s climate commitments.”
The decision lands as the federal government says it wants more major projects to reach final investment decisions or break ground by spring 2027. For Sunrise, the next test is whether Enbridge can keep the project on its construction schedule after nearly four years of development work and before gas is expected to begin flowing in late 2028.
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