Alberta Premier fighting for more value from Alberta oil
Alberta: The government is taking action to build more capacity for moving oil by rail, as part of a made-in-alberta strategy to keep more value from our resources.
Premier Rachel Notley announced that Alberta has started negotiations for a crucial investment in new rail capacity to help reduce the historically high oil price gap. The differential is robbing the national economy of more than $80 million a day, thanks to Canada’s decades-long failure to build new pipelines.
“We will not stand by while we’re forced to give our resources away for pennies on the dollar. This oil price differential is about real people with real bills to pay and real concerns about the future. There’s no excuse for Ottawa to not be at the table with us, but we cannot allow delays to continue. Alberta will buy rail cars ourselves in our fight to get top dollar for the resources that belong to every Albertan,” said Premier Rachel Notley.
Alberta’s goal is to create enough new rail capacity to move 120,000 barrels a day out of the province to markets where our oil can earn the best value possible for three years, starting late 2019. It would narrow the oil price gap by up to $4 per barrel, generate more than $1 million per day in new federal revenues and provide smaller producers with a more affordable option to move their oil to market.
This additional capacity and dedicated service would also ensure that agricultural products, including grain, would not be affected by having to compete for space on existing trains. The Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission (APMC) is negotiating with rail manufacturers and suppliers to make the best possible investment for Albertans. While negotiations are underway, Alberta cannot release financial details of the rail investment. With the current pipeline construction schedule, this investment would be revenue neutral.
This increased rail capacity would come online in late 2019 due to the time it takes to manufacture the new tank cars and related facilities. Until that time, Alberta will continue to address the energy price differential crisis with its made-in-alberta strategy that adds value through more upgrading here at home, creating thousands of jobs and attracting billions of dollars in new private investment.