The Alberta Utilities Commission has certified the need for Canadian Utilities Ltd.’s multi-billion-dollar Yellowhead natural gas pipeline project.
The project is proposed to carry over 1,200 terajoules, or 1.1 billion cubic feet, per day through over 230 kilometers (142.92 miles) of pipeline from the Peers area to Fort Saskatchewan.
“The Need Assessment Application is the first of two key regulatory filings that require approval from the Alberta Utilities Commission to advance the project”, parent company ATCO Ltd. said in a statement online.
“Canadian Utilities’ operating entity ATCO Energy Systems will file a separate facilities application later this year to seek AUC approval for construction and operation of the physical infrastructure and expects construction to commence in 2026”.
Nancy Southern, chair and chief executive of ATCO, said, “This Alberta Utilities Commission decision affirms the strategic importance of the Yellowhead Pipeline in supporting Alberta’s long-term energy resilience with infrastructure that will empower communities, enable industrial growth and reinforce our commitment to responsible development across the province”.
Southern said consultation had been conducted with communities along the proposed route and that the proposed project “reflects both local priorities and broader energy needs”.
ATCO’s initial investment estimate for Yellowhead is CAD 2.8 billion ($2.04 billion).
“The project is expected to create 2,000 direct jobs and support an average of 12,000 jobs annually through related downstream investments”, ATCO added.
“Once operational, the downstream investments are estimated to contribute CAD 3.9 billion annually to Alberta’s GDP”, it said, citing an internal study by Oxford Economics.
In its quarterly report last month Canadian Utilities said it continued to pursue engagements with prospective Indigenous partners for equity arrangements.
Yellowhead “continues to advance on-going stakeholder consultation, land acquisition, long-lead pipeline materials procurement and design work”, the report said.
Canadian Utilities is progressing another project, the Central East Transfer-Out power transmission line (CETO), which started construction in the third quarter of 2024.
“CETO has progressed substation tendering for civil, structural and electrical works and expects to begin fall season construction in the third quarter of 2025”, the quarterly report said. “Electricity Transmission’s 85 kilometers of the transmission line are on track to be energized by June 2026 with an approximate CAD 280 million expected project spend.
“CETO will support renewable energy integration in Alberta and transport electricity in the counties of Red Deer, Lacombe and Stettler, supplying more than 1,500 megawatts of electricity to Alberta’s grid”.
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