LAC LA BICHE - A community engagement session about TC Energy’s proposed Blackrod Connection Project that will run pipelines through a part of Lac La Biche County garnered little public interest last week.
While few members of the general public attended, several representatives of Lac La Biche County – including elected officials and administrative staff – did attend the open house, which took place on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at McArthur Place.
According to TC Energy officials, the purpose of the Blackrod Connection Project is to provide liquids and natural gas transportation infrastructure in support of International Petroleum Corp’s (IPC) Blackrod Project. The proposed lines would extend from the remote Blackrod Project site about 25 kilometres west of Wandering River to a site called the House River Terminal that intersects with the existing TC pipeline parallel to Highway 63.
In addition to the 25 kilometres of 12-inch liquids pipeline that would connect Blackrod’s crude oil production to the existing Grand Rapid Pipeline (GRP) System, there is also a proposed 25-kilometre, 16-inch natural gas pipeline to connect the Blackrod facility with the Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) System.
The few people who attended last week’s open house met with representatives of TC Energy, who had detailed maps of the pipelines on display.
If the project goes ahead, the House River Terminal, which will have a 150,000-barrel storage tank and auxiliary equipment, will be located near the tie point to the GRP system.
The overall proposal includes a third associated facility — a pump station near Newbrook, located in Athabsca County.
Process continues
The open house in Lac La Biche is a component of a two-year planning process leading to an application being submitted to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). Once approved, prep-work is slated to start in 2024, with facility and pipeline construction set to begin afterwards. The target completion date for the overall project is 2025.
Some conversations at the open house with municipal leaders and industry officials centred on economic benefits of the project, including construction, maintenance, operations and taxation.
More details about the Blackrod project can be found on the TC Energy website.
