Alberta to Propose General Corridor for Controversial New Oil Pipeline to BC Coast Amid Strong Opposition

Alberta is more likely to propose a general corridor rather than a specific route for a new 1 million-barrels-per-day oil pipeline to the British Columbia coast. The province has been seeking to advance the project for months but has not settled on a firm route because it requires talks with indigenous communities and British Columbia provincial authorities.

Alberta considers proposing a general corridor to the northwestern coast near Prince Rupert, Rajan Sawhney, Alberta’s Minister of Indigenous Relations, told Bloomberg on the sidelines of an energy conference in Calgary.

The exact route of the so-called West Coast Oil Pipeline will be determined after consultations with indigenous communities, the minister added. Alberta targets to submit the project to the federal Major Projects Office for designation as a project of national interest by July and will pursue such designation by October 1, 2026.

Last month the federal government and Alberta reached a carbon pricing deal that could move the pipeline from debate into construction.

Even if supported by the federal government, the new pipeline faces stiff opposition from environmental campaigners and BC communities. , and Canada seeks to diversify its trade and economic relations in the face of tariffs from the Trump Administration. Mark Carney’s government wants to make Canada an energy superpower, including moving more of Alberta’s crude on tankers to Asia.

Increased seaborne shipments to the world’s most important oil-consuming region would also diversify Canada’s oil export markets.