Canada’s Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion is officially complete, marking a significant milestone for the country’s energy infrastructure and export capabilities.
The project has effectively more than doubled the pipeline’s capacity from 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 890,000 bpd, substantially increasing Canada’s ability to deliver crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands to international markets, especially in Asia.
The expansion involved constructing nearly 1,000 kilometres of new pipeline alongside key infrastructure enhancements.
This includes 12 state-of-the-art pumping stations equipped with automated monitoring systems, 19 additional storage tanks strategically positioned along the route for operational flexibility, and expanded marine terminals featuring three new berths at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, British Columbia.
These marine upgrades allow for increased tanker shipments, facilitating cost-effective and environmentally compliant exports to Pacific Rim markets.
Originally built in 1953 and spanning over 1,180 kilometres, the pipeline’s expansion project represents a twinning of much of the existing route, roughly 73 per cent utilising the current right-of-way with the remainder constructed along new alignments parallel to linear infrastructure such as highways and telecommunications corridors.
The government of Canada acquired the pipeline from Kinder Morgan in 2018 for CA$4.5 billion and manages the expanded system via the Trans Mountain Corporation (TMC).
This boost in capacity addresses critical energy market dynamics by opening diversified export routes for Canadian crude, diminishing reliance on a single corridor to the U.S. West Coast, and strategically positioning Canada to meet growing Asian refinery demand.
The pipeline’s completion enhances North American energy security by providing alternative routes and supporting market flexibility amid geopolitical uncertainties.
It also integrates with continental energy systems to optimise crude distribution and mitigate historical bottlenecks that caused regional price disparities.
The project came with significant environmental oversight, including 156 regulatory conditions enforced by the Canada Energy Regulator.
Indigenous community engagement has been ongoing since 2012, ensuring multi-stakeholder collaboration in the pipeline’s development and operations.
Economically, the expansion is transformative; it supports short- and long-term job creation — over 37,000 people were employed during construction — and increases tax revenues across all government levels.
It also attracts robust U.S. investment, with American capital controlling approximately 60 per cent of the Canadian oil and gas sector, drawn by the pipeline’s improved market access and advanced technological applications such as robotic automation and predictive maintenance.
Since the pipeline began commercial operations in May 2024, crude oil production in Canada has risen, with industry analysts expecting continued growth aligned with the pipeline’s increased capacity.
The system currently operates with high utilisation rates and anticipates further efficiency gains through future technological integrations like drag-reducing agents to enhance flow capacity.
