The end of a saga: the new Trans Mountain oil pipeline, which connects central Canada to the west coast, officially enters service on Wednesday after years of delay, and without having succeeded in erasing the controversies.
It is the first major pipeline in decades to be built in Canada, the world’s fourth-largest crude oil exporter.
The existing pipeline stretches 1,150 km between the province of Alberta and British Columbia to the west. Entering service in the 1950s, it transports around 300,000 barrels per day.
Twice as large, the new one triples capacity with additional pumping stations and terminals and a new port complex in Burnaby, near Vancouver on the Pacific coast. Above all, it allows us to export more, particularly to Asia.
Long demanded by Alberta’s powerful oil industry, but decried by environmentalists and certain indigenous communities in the region, the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline has caused an outcry in recent years.
Demonstrations and legal challenges against the project multiplied after the announcement in 2018 of the nationalization of this “strategic” oil pipeline by the government of Justin Trudeau for 4.5 billion Canadian dollars at the time.
For George Hoberg, a natural resources specialist at the University of British Columbia, the construction of the pipeline was a “very hard blow” to the Trudeau government’s attempts at reconciliation with indigenous communities, despite being one of its priorities. since coming to power in 2015.
A decision also very poorly received by environmental defenders: they point out the risks of oil spills, with the increase in maritime traffic, and its consequences on the populations of Pacific orcas, an endangered species.
The successful completion of the project represents “a great victory for Alberta, but a great loss for environmentalists concerned about the climate crisis and possible leaks from the pipeline itself or from oil tankers sailing in Canadian waters,” concludes M .Hoberg.
“Counterproductive project”
In addition, the extension of the pipeline is “completely contradictory” with the government’s commitment to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40 to 45% by 2030, estimates Jean-Philippe Sapinski, professor of environmental studies at the University of Moncton (east).
Canada ranks among the 10 largest emitters of GHG emissions on the planet and has one of the highest rates of emissions per capita.
The climate issue is, however, an issue that concerns more and more Canadians confronted in recent years with extreme weather events, the intensity and frequency of which are increased by warming. The country experienced the worst fire season in its history in 2023.
“If we are aiming for a true ecological transition, this project is counterproductive,” observes Mr. Sapinski.
Another aspect that raises eyebrows in Canada: the final bill for the project. If it is not yet known, it promises to be staggering with an estimate of 34 billion Canadian dollars, compared to 7.4 billion at the start of the project in 2017.
As of 2022, the Parliamentary Budget Officer judged that this project was a financial “loss” for Canada, its construction costing more than its value.
In terms of energy, the arrival on the world market of the new version of the pipeline will not “change the geopolitical balance”, dominated by Russia and the Middle East, explains to AFP Pierre-Olivier Pineau, professor at HEC Montreal.
However, it “takes away a little bit of power from the Middle East and offers new options from North America,” according to this energy policy expert, by creating “additional competition” for the benefit of Canadian producers.