TransCanada to expand Canadian Mainline capacity through new investment

Canadian Mainline Pipeline route.

Expansion will move additional 80 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, much of it from West to Eastern Canada markets

TransCanada Corporation announced it will apply to the National Energy Board to expand the capacity of the Canadian Mainline System through its Maple Compressor Station near Vaughan, Ontario, according to a press release.

“This expansion will help ensure Ontario customers receive the natural gas they need over the long-term and meet growing market demand in Atlantic Canada,” said Karl Johannson, TransCanada’s executive vice president and president, Canada and Mexico natural gas pipelines and energy.

The approximately $160 million project is underpinned by 15-year contracts and will increase capacity to the southern Ontario market plus delivery to Atlantic Canada via the Trans Québec & Maritimes Pipeline and Portland Natural Gas Transmission Systems.

“This investment further affirms our commitment to build key natural gas infrastructure in Canada and shows the importance of the Canadian Mainline to efficiently and competitively meet the transportation needs of our customers,” said Johannson.

The proposed project will add incremental compression and associated facilities on the Canadian Mainline to move an additional approximately 80 million cubic feet of clean-burning natural gas per day, enough to supply more than 300,000 homes on an annual basis.

Once TransCanada has completed its tariff process for capacity additions, an application to approve the associated facilities is expected to be filed with the NEB in early 2018, to meet a Nov. 1, 2019 in-service.

This new investment is part of an approximately $500 million program that TransCanada is undertaking to support additional transportation of Canadian and U.S. gas along the company’s Canadian Mainline System.