Name and location
Keystone pipeline Gulf Coast expansion (Keystone XL) project, Canada and the US.

Client
TransCanada Corporation (TransCanada).

Project description
The Keystone XL pipeline project will enable Canadian and US oil producers to have more access to the large refining markets in the American Midwest and along the US Gulf Coast.

The project proposes a 1 897 km, 36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline, beginning in Hardisty, Alberta, and extending south to Steele City, Nebraska, in Canada and the US respectively. This pipeline is a critical infrastructure project for the energy security of the US.

Along with transporting crude oil from Canada, the Keystone XL pipeline will also support the significant growth of crude oil production in the US from producers in the Bakken region of Montana and North Dakota.

The pipeline will have capacity to transport 830 000 bbl/d of oil to Gulf Coast and Midwest refineries, reducing American dependence on oil from Venezuela and the Middle East by up to 40%.

Value
$8-billion.

Duration
TransCanada expects to have the pipeline in service by 2015.

Latest developments
TransCanada will file an application with the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) to seek approval for the Keystone XL route through the state.

TransCanada has changed tack, saying it will drop its current ‘eminent domain’ actions to force landholders to provide it access to land; it is also is taking steps to terminate constitutional court proceedings in Holt County, Nebraska.

"After careful review, we believe that going through the PSC process is the clearest path to achieving route certainty for the Keystone XL project in Nebraska. It ultimately saves time, reduces conflict with those who oppose the project and sets clear rules for approval of the route,” TransCanada president and CEO Russ Girling has stated.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Keystone XL has been delayed, owing to the rejection of TransCanada’s application for a permit to build and operate the project.

Contact Details for Project Information
TransCanada, tel +1 866 717 7473 or email keystone@transcanada.com.