Athabasca County Council got an update on TransCanadaís proposed Grand Rapids Pipeline Project straight from the project manager last week.
Jeff Perry, project manager for the proposed $3 billion pipeline, addressed councilís questions at their meeting last Thursday, the day after he had hosted an open house in Boyle.
Perry was accompanied by CMR Consulting president Carolyn Moore-Robin, and together they put on an extensive presentation illustrating the ins and outs of the pipeline system that will transport up to 900,000 barrels per day of crude oil and 330,000 barrels per day of diluent, according to a TransCanada press release.
Economic growth is expected to be stimulated by the project, and even provide Athabasca County residents with $3.1 million in property tax benefits, according to Perryís presentation.
Local benefits could also include temporary job creation and proposed local tendered contracts.
Of eight pump stations that will be placed along the pipeline route, two will be located in Athabasca County ñ one between Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement and La Biche River Wildland, the other to the southeast of Momillan Lake on the north end of the county.
Those pump stations will be powered by 6,500 HP electric blended bitumen pumps and 3,000 HP diluent pumps, which ìare required to provide sufficient hydraulic pressure to move the blended bitumen and diluent through the associated pipelines.î
The Grand Rapids Pipeline is a dual pipeline system that came to fruition last year as part of a joint venture between Phoenix Energy Holdings Limited and TransCanada.
Two parallel pipelines would accommodate the line, transporting a blended bitumen of crude oil and diluent 500 km from a proposed pump station, tank farm and loading and unloading terminal northwest of Fort McMurray, then down to the Edmonton area.
ìIt could be in operation for 60 to 70 years,î explained Perry.
ìThis pipeline will be built with what in 60 years will be considered ëold steel,í but it is being built with the best steel possible now.î
Considerable research is being conducted by TransCanada into the rights-of-way and vicinity of the proposed pipeline route, and many additional factors are being taken into consideration.
At the open house in Boyle on Wednesday, Perry said the pipeline would largely follow existing pipeline routes and would have a minimal environmental impact, although studies continue to be looked at.
Perry continued on to note that so far he has not heard any concerns about the project from any environmental groups.
ìWe felt that it would be least disruptive to follow existing pipelines, so we have done that for almost the entire route, except for small sections where there are too many pipelines,î said Perry.
Councillor Doris Splane asked Perry if the pipeline would interfere with peopleís homes and the project manager assured her that if it did, adjustments to the pipelineís path would be applied.
The proposed pipeline project will still need to secure a number of federal, provincial and municipal approvals before moving forward.
If all goes to plan, construction of the project is expected to begin in the summer of 2014, and is expected to be operational by ìearly 2017,î according to the release.
