Enbridge lands $4B LNG expansion

Canada approved Enbridge’s C$4 billion Sunrise Expansion on April 24, giving the company federal clearance to enlarge its Westcoast natural gas pipeline system in British Columbia. (canada.ca) The project is designed to add about 300 million cubic feet per day of transportation capacity on the southern portion of the Westcoast system. Enbridge said construction is scheduled to begin in July 2026, with service targeted for late 2028. (enbridge.com) CBC reported the expansion includes nearly 140 kilometres of new pipeline built as 11 looping segments alongside the existing line. The Westcoast system now carries gas from northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta toward the Canada-United States border. (cbc.ca) Natural Resources Canada said the added capacity is meant to serve homes, hospitals, schools and industrial users in British Columbia while also supplying liquefied natural gas export facilities. The department said the project could add more than C$3 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product, generate more than C$700 million in tax revenue and create 2,500 jobs at peak construction. (canada.ca) The approval also intersects with Enbridge’s own LNG bets on the West Coast. Enbridge says it owns 30% of the Woodfibre LNG project near Squamish, while Pacific Energy holds the other 70%. (enbridge.com) (woodfibrelng.ca) Federal officials did not dedicate Sunrise gas to a single export plant, and Enbridge executive Matthew Akman said only that some of the added capacity will “no doubt go offshore,” according to CBC. That leaves the expansion positioned as shared infrastructure for domestic demand and multiple LNG outlets rather than a single-purpose line. (cbc.ca 1) (cbc.ca 2) The project arrives as Canada pushes more Pacific Coast LNG capacity into service. Cedar LNG, a separate Kitimat-area project backed by the Haisla Nation and Pembina Pipeline, says it is majority-owned by the Haisla Nation with a 50.1% stake. (cedarlng.com) (canada.ca) Ottawa cast Sunrise as part of a trade-diversification push aimed at Asian gas markets, while Enbridge framed it as a faster build because it expands an existing corridor instead of starting from scratch. The next test is execution: pipe procurement is underway, construction is due this summer, and the added capacity is supposed to arrive in late 2028. (canada.ca) (enbridge.com)