Canada approves Yellowhead pipeline; Enbridge starts $4B Sunrise expansion

The Alberta Utilities Commission approved Canadian Utilities Ltd.'s Yellowhead natural gas pipeline project, a $2.9 billion, 235‑kilometre line from the Peers area to Fort Saskatchewan. The pipeline will deliver over 1.1 billion cubic feet of gas per day and is expected to create about 2,000 direct construction jobs. All major pipeline and compressor contracts have been awarded.

In British Columbia, Enbridge Inc. broke ground on its Sunrise expansion, a $4 billion project adding roughly 300 million cubic feet per day of capacity. The expansion includes about 140 kilometres of new pipe and 11 looping segments parallel to the existing Westcoast pipeline, supporting LNG export facilities on the West Coast. The federal government approved the project in April, and an alliance of Indigenous communities holds a 12.5 percent stake in the existing Westcoast system, with optional equity in the expansion.