Trans Mountain to start line fill

Filling the pipeline with oil, a final step before crude deliveries start, will require about 4.5 million bbl, Trans Mountain Corp said.

"We expect commercial operations to commence near the end of 1Q24," a Trans Mountain spokesperson said in a statement.

Trans Mountain has previously forecast a first quarter in-service date for pipeline operations. However, there had been speculation within the Canadian energy industry that the expansion project could face further delays after a dispute with an Indigenous group in British Columbia over a route change request, which Trans Mountain won last week.

The expansion will nearly triple the capacity of the pipeline running from Alberta to Canada's Pacific Coast to 890 000 bpd, but the CAN$30.9 billion (US$22.6 billion) project has struggled with years of regulatory delay and massive cost overruns.

It was bought by the Canadian government in 2018 to ensure the expansion got built.

Once operational, TMX will open up new markets for Canadian crude on the US West Coast and Asia.

The exact date of line fill is being carefully watched by oil market traders as it will boost demand and should raise prices for Canadian crude. Earlier this year shippers MEG Energy and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd both said they expected line fill to take place before the end of 2023.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/09102023/trans-mountain-to-start-line-fill/