TC Energy committed to mitigating impacts during construction of new Nova Gas facilities
Construction is expected to wrap up on TC Energy’s latest expansion of the Nova Gas Transmission Ltd system this winter, with the completion of the Saturn section of the Groundbirch mainline. The accompanying Willow Valley Meter Station is scheduled to be constructed later in the winter.
In this most recent expansion of the NGTL system, which gathers gas from the Montney reserve and transports it to domestic and export markets, two 23 km-long expansion sections of 42-inch pipe will run from west of Dawson Creek, to Groundbirch, tying into the existing Groundbirch mainline. Construction of the Sunrise section began in September 2022, and was put into service in May 2023.
Throughout the construction of the Sunrise section, TC Energy did its best to minimize the impacts on the environment, according to Heather Desarmia, public affairs advisor for TC Energy. The Sunrise expansion section, although largely parallel to the existing pipeline, does not precisely twin that line.
“That was managing the Kiskatinaw water crossing, and being mindful of the geotechnical concerns,” Desarmia said. TC Energy also engaged with the Kiskatinaw Watershed Group to ensure they were functioning and constructing outside of their area of concern. Using a method called horizontal directional drilling, the pipeline was able to cross the Kiskatinaw River without disruption.
“We didn’t have to stop the flow of water at all. We were able to maintain the natural flow of the water and bore directly underneath the stream. This mitigated any impacts to the flow of water, or surrounding nature in the water stream.”
A trenchless method was also used when crossing the Braden Road, so that one lane of the major transportation corridor was able to remain open.
In March, Surerus Murphy began the grading and clearing of the second expansion section, the Saturn section, and pipe has begun arriving in the area from Dimsdale.
“This section ties into the existing Sunrise section, and it does head northwest towards another one of TC Energy’s existing facilities, the Saturn No 2 Receipt Meter Station. This is at the tail-end of our North Montney mainline,” said Desarmia.
This section crosses the Stewart Lake Road area, and TC Energy has been working closely with the recreational users to ensure that they are aware of the activities in the area, and that the proper mitigations are in place, with safety at the forefront.
Construction on this section is expected to be complete by the end of 2023.
Approval for the Willow Valley Meter Station was received from Canada’s Energy Regulator in May 2023. It will be built north of Highway 97, near the Wilde Lake Compressor Station, which is part of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
The purpose of this facility, Desarmia explained, is to provide an additional source of natural gas, if there is a need. If one of the Coastal GasLink joint venture partners needs additional natural gas to meet their commercial supplier obligations, then they can tap into the Groundbirch mainline and pull the additional gas from northeastern BC.
Preliminary work on Willow Valley is expected to start at the end of December, with more substantial construction beginning in January 2024.
“We’re anticipating this construction window to take three to four months, and we’ll have about 25 workers supporting the construction,” she said.
For the past twenty years, TC Energy has been constructing and operating pipelines in the Peace region and working closely with communities to mitigate impacts.
“Once [these] projects come into service, they will be part of TC Energy’s general operating system. We’ve got a 70-year history of operating pipelines in North America safely, and they will be monitored 24-7 by our gas centre.”