An artist's rendering of the Trans Mountain Terminal in Burnaby (courtesy Trans Mountain)

By Charles Lefebvre

Trans Mountain expansion

Trans Mountain preparing to resume pipeline construction

Aug 21, 2019 | 12:18 PM

EDMONTON, AB — Trans Mountain says it will resume work on its pipeline expansion.

The company has issued “Notice to Proceed” directives to some of the prime construction contractors, which gives them 30 days to mobilize equipment, procure goods and services, begin hiring workers and develop detailed construction work plans.

“With the first wave of regulatory approvals complete, we are confident that we have a path forward by which the Expansion Project construction can commence,” says Ian Anderson, President and CEO of Trans Mountain Corporation, in a statement.

The statement goes on to state construction work will soon begin in communities along the route, including between Edmonton and Edson. The company says an immediate return to work will also commence at the Burnaby Terminal and the Westridge Marine Terminal in British Columbia. Specific start dates for the remaining construction areas are subject to final regulatory approvals and permits, Trans Mountain says.

Construction on the pipeline expansion was underway, but was halted last year by the Federal court of Appeal, who ruled First Nations communities along the pipeline’s route were not properly consulted.

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After renewed consultations and hearings, the pipeline project was recommended for re-approval in February by the National Energy Board. The federal government approved the pipeline construction this summer.

“Over the coming months, we will continue our engagement with Indigenous communities along the construction corridor,” added Anderson in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring the Project incorporates all appropriate measures to protect the cultural, environmental and local Indigenous interests in the lands and waters through construction and into operation.”

Trans Mountain expects to hire up to 4,200 workers along the route by the end of 2019. They say if approvals are received as anticipated, the project will be in service by mid-2022.

Premier Jason Kenney also weighed in on the approval Wednesday afternoon.

“The start of construction is an important milestone, but it should have never taken this long,” the premier wrote in a statement. “TMX has been mired in delays and has been through countless months of consultation and a lengthy and rigorous review process. It has been cancelled twice. This cannot be allowed to happen again. Because of all of this, there is only one way to measure success for this project: completion of the pipeline.”