Canadian Utilities has secured final approval from the Alberta Utilities Commission for its Yellowhead Pipeline project, clearing the way for construction to begin immediately.
The ATCO subsidiary will invest an estimated $2.9 billion in the natural gas line, one of the larger infrastructure builds the company has taken on. The approved pipeline runs 235 kilometres and measures 36 inches in diameter, carrying gas from the Peers area to Fort Saskatchewan and paired with a single compressor station.
The line is already fully contracted, a sign of the demand ATCO is banking on as Alberta’s population and industrial base continue to expand.
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“The Yellowhead Pipeline will help meet Alberta’s growing need for safe, reliable and affordable energy, while supporting continued economic growth across the province,” said Jason Sharpe, Chief Operating Officer of ATCO Energy Systems.
The company expects roughly 2,000 direct construction jobs, along with another 12,000 downstream construction positions and 20,000 permanent annual jobs once related investments come online. Those downstream projects are projected to add $3.9 billion to Alberta’s GDP each year.
Targeted to enter service in late 2027, the pipeline will move more than one billion cubic feet of gas per day, roughly the daily draw of Alberta’s entire electricity grid.
