Name of the Project
Energy East pipeline project.

Location
The project involves three significant components. Energy East will convert an existing natural gas pipeline into an oil service between Burstall, in Saskatchewan, and Cornwall, in Ontario, Canada. New sections of pipeline will also need to be built in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Eastern Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick to link up with the newly converted pipe.

Client
TransCanada.

Project Description
The 4 600 km Energy East pipeline project will transport 1.1-million barrels of crude oil a day from receipt points in Alberta and Saskatchewan to Saint John, in New Brunswick, with additional delivery points in Montreal and the Quebec city region.

The plan is to convert about 3 000 km of TransCanada’s existing Canadian Mainline natural gas system into an oil service and build up to 1 600 km of new pipeline to transport the crude oil.

The project will also require associated facilities, such as pumpstations, tank terminals and marine facilities, to successfully transport the crude oil from Alberta to New Brunswick and access new markets.

The pipeline will include four oil tank terminals, 65 to 70 pumpstations and two marine-tanker loading facilities.

The pipeline will terminate at Canaport in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Jobs to be Created
Not stated.

Value
The project is expected to cost $15.7-billion.

Duration
Construction will start once all the necessary regulatory approvals have been received, with the pipeline slated to be in service by 2020.

Latest Developments
Canada's National Energy Board cancelled the first day of hearings on TransCanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline on August 29, after protesters disrupted the panel session, an agency spokesperson has said.

Environmental groups opposed to Canadian oil sands development have fought the 1.1-million-barrel-a-day Energy East pipeline.

Opposition has been particularly strong in the French-speaking province of Quebec, which the pipeline would need to cross on its way to the coast. Opponents include Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, who has cited concerns that the route could endanger forest and agricultural land.

Coderre has said that the public needs answers on the number of jobs that will be created from the pipeline and TransCanada's contingency plan in case of a spill.

Unionised workers hoping to benefit from the construction work estimate that the pipeline would create 2 000 jobs over three years in Quebec, a province where private investment in large projects has been hit by weak commodity prices.

There is no word yet on a new date for the hearing, NEB spokesperson Sarah Kiley has said.

"We are standing by and ready to respectfully and constructively begin the sessions in Montreal after five such productive sessions in New Brunswick – and we will be ready when the sessions resume," TransCanada has said in a statement.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Energy East has had several setbacks in Quebec. In March this year, the provincial government filed an injunction against the pipeline to force an environmental review, to which TransCanada later agreed.

Contact Details for Project Information
TransCanada investor and analyst enquiries, David Moneta, tel +1 403 920 7911 or email EnergyEast@TransCanada.com.