TransCanada to decide this week on export facility
CALGARY • TransCanada Corp. plans to make a decision this week on the fate of its proposed Cacouna marine oil terminal in Quebec, a feature of the Energy East pipeline project that opponents say would destroy beluga whale habitat.
The Calgary-based company has suspended work on the terminal and said it is considering other options than the facility planned for the shores of the St. Lawrence River.
Environmentalist groups and media reports in Quebec have repeatedly claimed TransCanada has abandoned plans to build the terminal, which would function as an export point for the oil transported through the 1.1-millionbarrel-per-day pipeline.
TransCanada spokesperson Tim Duboyce said Tuesday there would be an announcement on Cacouna and export plans before the end of this week.
If built, Cacouna would be one of two export points for the oil carried along the $12-billion Energy East pipeline route. The other export terminal is planned for Saint John where TransCanada and joint-venture partner Irving Oil Ltd. plan to build the Canaport Energy East Marine Terminal at the existing Canaport terminal.
The Cacouna terminal has been a source of controversy for TransCanada since December when the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) recommended beluga whales be classified as endangered.
“As a result, we have made the decision to halt any further work at Cacouna and we will be analyzing the recommendation, assessing any impacts to the project and reviewing all viable options,” TransCanada’s year-end financial documents state.
The National Energy Board is currently reviewing TransCanada’s 30,000-page Energy East pipeline application.
The Energy East pipeline project would carry oil from crude storage tanks at Hardisty, Alta. across the country and supply western Canadian oil to refineries in Montreal, Quebec City and Saint John. Energy East would also allow oil companies operating in Alberta and Saskatchewan to export their crude from Canada’s East Coast.