The Alberta government has formally submitted an application to the federal government for a massive new pipeline project aimed at doubling the province’s oil production over the next decade.
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The proposal, sent to the federal Major Projects Office, seeks to have the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline listed as a project of national interest. If approved, the pipeline would transport more than one million barrels of crude oil per day from Bruderheim, Alta., to the southwest coast of British Columbia to access expanding Asian markets.
The project is central to Alberta’s long-term goal of increasing its oil production to eight million barrels per day over the next 10 years.
“Canada has everything it needs to become an energy superpower, but only if we build the infrastructure to get our resources to market,” Premier Danielle Smith said. She added that the project would create tens of thousands of jobs and generate tens of billions of dollars in provincial and federal revenues.
After evaluating both northern and southern routes, the province selected a southern corridor that largely follows the existing Trans Mountain pipeline route to a deep-water port terminal.
The province stated that leveraging the existing corridor will minimize new land disturbances and bypass the regulatory hurdles of the federal Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which applies to B.C.’s northern coast.
To execute the project, Alberta is entering into a partnership with Trans Mountain Corporation and Pembina Pipeline. The provincial and federal governments also plan to facilitate Indigenous equity ownership opportunities through the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation and the federal Canadian Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program.
Under a landmark energy agreement signed in May, the federal government committed to a timely review of the submission. The province expects a decision on the national interest listing by Oct. 1, 2026, which could allow design and construction to begin as early as Sept. 1, 2027.
The pipeline announcement comes as Alberta, Ottawa, and the Oil Sands Alliance finalize a separate tripartite agreement. That upcoming deal is expected to include regulatory reforms and growth incentives to scale up oilsands production, while providing conditions for member companies to build the Pathways carbon capture and storage project.
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