New documents suggest the Crown corporation behind the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is facing an uphill battle to finish the project on schedule in spite of mounting internal and external pressure to do so.

The Trans Mountain pipeline is CanadaB次元官网网址檚 only pipeline system transporting oil from Alberta to the West Coast. Its expansion, which is currently underway, will boost the pipelineB次元官网网址檚 capacity to 890,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 300,000 bpd currently.

Trans Mountain Corp. has long stated its target date for the mechanical completion of the project is sometime during the third quarter of this year (which ends Sept. 30), with the pipelineB次元官网网址檚 in-service date expected in early 2024.

But last week, the corporation filed for regulatory approval to modify the route of one of the remaining stretches of pipe yet to be completed, saying it has run into a construction-related hurdle that could delay the projectB次元官网网址檚 progress.

Now, new regulatory filings by a First Nation in B.C. reveal the extent of the deadline pressure facing the pipeline company.

In a letter to the Canada Energy Regulator dated Aug. 28, a lawyer for the StkB次元官网网址檈mlupsemc te Secwepemc details a meeting the First NationB次元官网网址檚 leadership had with Trans Mountain executives about the proposed route change.

According to the First NationB次元官网网址檚 filing, Trans Mountain CEO Dawn Farrell said engineering difficulties related to the drilling of a tunnel in B.C. mean the corporation can no longer complete the pipeline section in question using a trenchless construction method as promised.

B次元官网网址淚 know that itB次元官网网址檚 not your concern that this is taking longer and that itB次元官网网址檚 causing problems with the schedule and all the rest of it but it is,B次元官网网址� the First Nation quotes Farrell as saying in the meeting. B次元官网网址淪ignificantly.

B次元官网网址淲e are constrained to options that are economic and feasible within the remaining time frame.B次元官网网址�

The StkB次元官网网址檈mlupsemc te SecwepemcB次元官网网址檚 letter also says Trans Mountain never said its originally proposed construction method was impossible, only that it couldnB次元官网网址檛 be done in time to meet a Jan. 1, 2024, in-service date for the pipeline.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e come to a conclusion that we arenB次元官网网址檛 going to be successful in completing that tunnel in time to meet the requirements and bring this project online,B次元官网网址� the First Nation quotes Trans Mountain as telling them.

B次元官网网址淎nd, at this point in time, bringing the project online is something that we need to do. The executive made that clear, the board of directors made that clear. ItB次元官网网址檚 an expectation of B次元官网网址� the contracts we have in place.B次元官网网址�

The section of pipe in contention is a proposed 1.3-kilometre stretch yet to be built in the Jacko Lake area, near Kamloops.

The StkB次元官网网址檈mlupsemc te Secwepemc state in their regulatory filing that the area has B次元官网网址減rofound spiritual and cultural significanceB次元官网网址� to their people, and that they only consented to the pipelineB次元官网网址檚 construction with the understanding that Trans Mountain would minimize surface disturbances by implementing specific trenchless construction methods.

B次元官网网址淭rans Mountain has failed to demonstrate that the trenchless construction methods within the Pipsell (Jacko Lake) Corridor approved under the Previous Deviation Application are no longer a viable method of construction,B次元官网网址� the First Nation states.

B次元官网网址淭rans Mountain has made it clear that financial considerations B次元官网网址� and Trans MountainB次元官网网址檚 preference for a Jan. 1, 2024 in-service date are the rationale for submitting the Deviation Application.B次元官网网址�

The Trans Mountain pipeline project has been plagued by difficulties. The pipeline was bought by the federal government for $4.5 billion in 2018 after previous owner Kinder Morgan Canada Inc. threatened to scrap the pipelineB次元官网网址檚 planned expansion project in the face of environmentalist opposition and regulatory hurdles.

Its projected price tag has since spiralled, first to $12.6 billion, then to $21.4 billion and most recently to $30.9 billion (the most recent capital cost estimate, as of March of this year).

The federal government has already approved a total of $13 billion in loan guarantees to help Trans Mountain secure the financing to cover the cost overruns.

Trans Mountain Corp. has blamed its budget problems on a variety of factors, including inflation, COVID-19, labour and supply chain challenges, flooding in B.C. and unexpected major archeological discoveries along the route.

This most recent construction hurdle does not bode well for the corporationB次元官网网址檚 schedule or budget, said Richard Masson, executive fellow with the University of CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 School of Public Policy.

B次元官网网址淚t sounds to me quite bad,B次元官网网址� Masson said in an interview on Tuesday.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 unlikely, in my opinion, (that) youB次元官网网址檙e going to get a quick deviation approval on something you made a commitment to a First Nation on.B次元官网网址�

He added that while Trans Mountain waits for the regulator to make a decision on its request to move the pipeline route, its labour costs will continue to rise.

And the federal government, which is seeking to divest the pipeline and has entered negotiations with several interested Indigenous-led buyers, will be unable to sell until a final construction cost and in-service date is determined.

In the meantime, Trans Mountain has filed for regulatory approval for thetolls it wishes to charge oil shippers when the pipeline begins operations. But oil companies, frustrated by the higher tolls Trans Mountain says are necessary due to the pipelineB次元官网网址檚 ballooning price tag, are pushing back.

The Canada Energy Regulator has yet to make a decision on the tolling issue, and has agreed to give shippers until Aug. 30 to file written statements. But shippers also need the pipeline to be completed on schedule to meet their obligations to customers.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e got a commitment to ship the oil, theyB次元官网网址檝e got to be ready to execute on that. So a delay complicates that,B次元官网网址� Masson said.

B次元官网网址淎nd of course the federal government will need to put in more loan guarantees to keep this thing afloat until the tolls start coming. It all adds up to bad news for everybody.B次元官网网址�

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