In July, 2011, TransCanada started shipping pipe to its laydown yards along the right of way. This was a convoy of pipe trucks passing through Shaunavon. That pipe sat for nine years. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Spreading out risk among partners and customers will be key if South Bow Corp. goes ahead with the new Alberta-U.S. pipeline project it’s pitching to oilsands producers, its top executive said Friday.
That was one of the lessons the company drew from a past attempt to expand its cross-border system — the infamous Keystone XL proposal repeatedly killed and resurrected amid fervent environmental opposition.
“Our team has learned through many previous projects that allocating risk appropriately among all stakeholders — our customers, ourselves as developers, partners — is really critical. So the team has been working diligently on that front,” CEO Bevin Wirzba told analysts on a quarterly conference call.
“We will not sacrifice our capital allocation discipline through advancing any project.”
The Calgary-based company, which used to be part of TC Energy Corp., has begun gauging customer interest in its Prairie Connector proposal, which would start in Hardisty, Alta., and carry oilsands crude to various U.S. destinations.
- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001
The existing Keystone system starts in the same eastern Alberta town and currently delivers crude to refineries in the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast.
The ill-fated XL expansion first pitched in 2008 would have added capacity, along with a section of new pipe providing a more direct route to the Gulf of Mexico via Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to see that project once again revived after his predecessor Joe Biden kiboshed it in 2021. Prime Minister Mark Carney floated the prospect with Trump within the context of broader trade talks last year.
Some unused pipe is already in the ground on the Canadian side of the border for what was supposed to be Keystone XL. Permits remain in place for that portion, Wirzba said.
Private U.S. firm Bridger Pipeline LLC has proposed a pipeline that would carry 550,000 barrels per day of crude from the Canada-U.S. border in Montana to Guernsey, Wyo. There has been speculation around that pipeline linking up with the dormant Keystone XL infrastructure in Canada.
Bridger said in its submission to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in January that a presidential permit would be needed for its project.
- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
- 0111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 010111 2026 SK Oil Show booth promo 01
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter0110 SaskEnergy SEI_Network_Members_Burn_Brighter
- 0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety0105 SaskEnergy Commitment to Safety
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001