A new route to Asian markets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The project is designed to move at least 365 million barrels of heavy crude each year, equal to roughly 15.3 billion gallons. Most of the route would follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor before reaching a deep-water terminal on British Columbia\u2019s southwest coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: Tape aluminum foil over a damp wall for 48 hours, and the side that gets wet can reveal what your home is hiding<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIf approved, Alberta would gain more direct access to Asian buyers<\/a> and Canada would reduce its dependence on the United States. The northern British Columbia tanker moratorium would remain in place, but oil tanker traffic in southern coastal waters would rise if the new export capacity is used.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPublic ownership changes the bet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Canada and Alberta plan to be equal government partners, with a meaningful equity stake reserved for Indigenous communities. Trans Mountain Corporation would lead development, while Pembina Pipeline Corporation would bring private-sector investment and expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carney has described the plan as a way to make Canada a \u201cglobal supplier of choice.\u201d Federal estimates say the pipeline could support up to 140,000 jobs, while the pipeline and the related Pathways carbon capture project together could support about 175,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The financial risk is harder to pin down. Alberta\u2019s project database lists an estimated cost equivalent to about $31.2 billion at the Bank of Canada\u2019s July 17 exchange rate, although no final construction budget has been announced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trans Mountain Expansion<\/a> began commercial operations in 2024 after its estimated cost climbed to about $24.4 billion at the same exchange rate, so taxpayers and investors will be watching schedules, contracts and cost controls closely this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEmissions tell a different story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Canada\u2019s official inventory shows that oil and gas remained the country\u2019s largest source of greenhouse gases in 2024, releasing about 229 million tons of CO2<\/sub> equivalent, or 30% of national emissions. Transportation produced about 166 million tons, while oil and gas emissions<\/a> rose 1.8% from 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/canada-mark-carney-oil-sands-pipeline-alberta-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has advanced Alberta’s oil sands pipeline proposal, with Ottawa backing most of the financial commitment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe longer trend is even harder to square with expansion. Oil and gas emissions were 76% higher in 2024 than in 1990, while emissions from oil sands production increased 529% over the same period. Adding the government\u2019s three oil sands categories puts operational emissions at roughly 101 million tons in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nAlso Read: A 3D-printed house in Italy used 350 clay layers and soil from the site, and bricks suddenly look less inevitable<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nProducers have reduced emissions intensity per barrel to a large extent, but lower intensity does not guarantee lower total pollution when output keeps growing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A May 2026 implementation agreement also confirms that Ottawa will not introduce its planned oil and gas emissions cap, placing more weight on Alberta\u2019s industrial carbon market and the Pathways project to deliver reductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carbon capture is the compromise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The new agreement with major oil sands producers calls for the Pathways carbon capture network<\/a> to reduce annual emissions by about 6.6 million tons by 2035. Shared CO2<\/sub> transport and storage infrastructure is expected to operate by 2032, followed by another 5.5 million tons of annual reductions by 2040 and the same amount again by 2045.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAt full scale, the planned 17.6 million tons of annual reductions would equal less than one-fifth of current oil sands operational emissions. That comparison is only a snapshot because future production may be higher, and the additional reductions can come from technologies or practices that have not yet been selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public ownership changes the bet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Canada and Alberta plan to be equal government partners, with a meaningful equity stake reserved for Indigenous communities. Trans Mountain Corporation would lead development, while Pembina Pipeline Corporation would bring private-sector investment and expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carney has described the plan as a way to make Canada a \u201cglobal supplier of choice.\u201d Federal estimates say the pipeline could support up to 140,000 jobs, while the pipeline and the related Pathways carbon capture project together could support about 175,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The financial risk is harder to pin down. Alberta\u2019s project database lists an estimated cost equivalent to about $31.2 billion at the Bank of Canada\u2019s July 17 exchange rate, although no final construction budget has been announced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trans Mountain Expansion<\/a> began commercial operations in 2024 after its estimated cost climbed to about $24.4 billion at the same exchange rate, so taxpayers and investors will be watching schedules, contracts and cost controls closely this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canada\u2019s official inventory shows that oil and gas remained the country\u2019s largest source of greenhouse gases in 2024, releasing about 229 million tons of CO2<\/sub> equivalent, or 30% of national emissions. Transportation produced about 166 million tons, while oil and gas emissions<\/a> rose 1.8% from 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The longer trend is even harder to square with expansion. Oil and gas emissions were 76% higher in 2024 than in 1990, while emissions from oil sands production increased 529% over the same period. Adding the government\u2019s three oil sands categories puts operational emissions at roughly 101 million tons in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Producers have reduced emissions intensity per barrel to a large extent, but lower intensity does not guarantee lower total pollution when output keeps growing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A May 2026 implementation agreement also confirms that Ottawa will not introduce its planned oil and gas emissions cap, placing more weight on Alberta\u2019s industrial carbon market and the Pathways project to deliver reductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new agreement with major oil sands producers calls for the Pathways carbon capture network<\/a> to reduce annual emissions by about 6.6 million tons by 2035. Shared CO2<\/sub> transport and storage infrastructure is expected to operate by 2032, followed by another 5.5 million tons of annual reductions by 2040 and the same amount again by 2045.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At full scale, the planned 17.6 million tons of annual reductions would equal less than one-fifth of current oil sands operational emissions. That comparison is only a snapshot because future production may be higher, and the additional reductions can come from technologies or practices that have not yet been selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEmissions tell a different story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Also Read: A 3D-printed house in Italy used 350 clay layers and soil from the site, and bricks suddenly look less inevitable<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Carbon capture is the compromise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n