New Alberta pipeline for natural gas byproducts opens link to trading hub

Gary Park

A C$55 million pipeline will give plants at the central Alberta petrochemical complex access to raw materials in the oil sands regions of northeastern Alberta.

The Joffre Feedstock Pipeline, scheduled to go into operation before year’s end, will complete a link from the Red Deer area to the Edmonton-area trading hub for natural gas and oil sands byproducts.

Nova Chemicals vice president of strategic development, Graham Flint, said the line will deliver propane and other liquid byproducts of natural gas for processing into ethylene at Nova’s Joffre facility.

He said Nova will be able to buy increasing volumes of raw materials as “off gas” byproducts of oil sands operations and allow Nova to shift from its dependence on ethane to other materials.

The new pipeline will be owned by Taylor NGL Limited Partnership, although Nova will be the sole shipper.