Canada lists the Pacific Link crude pipeline as a national-interest project, with Trans Mountain leading development and final conditions due September 2027.
The Government of Canada has formally listed the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline, now named Pacific Link, as a project of national interest under Schedule 1 of the Building Canada Act, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Oct. 1. The designation moves the line into a single, consolidated federal review intended to produce a final set of project conditions by Sept. 1, 2027.
According to the federal government, the pipeline would enable roughly 1 million b/d of additional Canadian crude exports to Asian markets, reducing the country’s reliance on U.S. buyers.
Ownership and project development. Canada and Alberta will hold equal ownership stakes in Pacific Link. Indigenous communities will be offered at least a 10% ownership interest, financed through the federal and Alberta Indigenous Loan Guarantee Programs.
Development is being led by Trans Mountain Corporation, operator of the recently expanded Trans Mountain system to the British Columbia coast. Pembina Pipeline Corporation is participating as a private-sector investor and contributing project development expertise.
The line will follow a southern route that avoids British Columbia’s North Coast and sensitive ecosystems including the Great Bear Sea. Ottawa said it is also working to expand the terminal at Roberts Bank to handle crude exports from the pipeline.
The release did not disclose pipeline length, diameter, capital cost or a target in-service date.
Regulatory pathway. The listing follows a three-month consultation by the federal Major Projects Office (MPO), which engaged more than 130 Indigenous communities near potential routes in Alberta and British Columbia, along with federal departments and the B.C. government. The pipeline is one of 28 initiatives referred to the MPO to date.
Over the next year, the MPO, supported by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), will lead the federal review and consultations on ownership, Indigenous rights, environmental protections, local hiring and oversight. The process will include CER-led public hearings covering technical, environmental, safety, security, health and cultural elements of the project.
The resulting conditions document would function as the project’s CER certificate and consolidate other federal approvals — including Fisheries Act authorizations and Species at Risk Act permits — that would otherwise be issued separately by individual ministers. The government said this will let proponents advance route mapping, ecological surveys, cost estimates, procurement and workforce planning in parallel with the review.
Economic projections. The federal government projects Pacific Link will support 140,000 jobs nationwide, contribute more than C$20 billion annually to GDP and generate C$100 billion in government revenue by 2060.
The project is linked to the Pathways Project, a large-scale carbon capture and storage initiative Canada and Alberta are jointly advancing to lower the emissions intensity of oil sands production.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the listing “a significant victory for Alberta’s and Canada’s energy future,” citing expanded market access and Alberta’s role as a global energy supplier. Carney described the pipeline as central to Canada’s goals of trade diversification and greater strategic autonomy.
Source: Office of the Prime Minister of Canada
