CALGARY – The proposed Mackenzie natural gas pipeline has received a final nod of approval from the federal cabinet, and a long-awaited certificate from the National Energy Board.
The Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by the NEB on Thursday will enable the 1,196-kilometre long Arctic pipeline to proceed if proponents decide to go ahead with the $16-billion project. The board had issued a conditional approval for the project December 2010.
In the making for decades, the Mackenzie pipeline project, led by Imperial Oil, has stalled on poor natural gas pricing outlooks and continued negotiations on federal support.
The pipeline would run from the Beaufort Sea to northwestern Alberta, and is designed to carry up to 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.
The project includes development of three natural gas fields, a gathering system and processing plant, plus a 457-kilometre pipeline to carry natural gas liquids from Inuvik, NWT to an existing oil pipeline at Norman Wells, and other related facilities.
Partners in the massive project include the Mackenzie Valley Aboriginal Pipeline Limited Partnership, ConocoPhillips Canada, Shell Canada and ExxonMobil Canada.
The consortium will need to obtain additional permits and authorizations from other boards and government agencies before construction could start.
Calgary Herald
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