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Carbon pipeline back before board for approval

A proposal for a billion dollar pipeline that would carry carbon dioxide to mature oilfields in Central Alberta is back before the Energy Resources Conservation Board.

A proposal for a billion dollar pipeline that would carry carbon dioxide to mature oilfields in Central Alberta is back before the Energy Resources Conservation Board.

Enhance Energy Inc. announced last November plans to build the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line from the Fort Saskatchewan area to a site near Clive. It wants to take CO2 from industrial complexes in the Industrial Heartland region and use it to stimulate oil wells in east-Central Alberta.

An application to build the 240-km pipeline was filed with the ERCB early this year, but withdrawn several months later after objections were raised.

Enhance Energy spokesperson Shawn Howard said at the time that his company was unable to reach a compromise with an industrial land owner on the designated route. It decided instead to alter its plans.

Corey Kusch, surface land manager with Enhance Energy, said Wednesday that a revised application was submitted to the ERCB last month. This made minor adjustments to the pipeline route, moving it a maximum of 400 metres to eliminate the conflict with the landowner.

Kusch said there are no remaining objections from landowners on the pipeline right of way.

“There are still a couple of outstanding objections, but on adjacent lands,” he added.

The ERCB can now approve or reject the application, with or without a hearing.

“We’re hopeful that we won’t have to go to a hearing, but at the end of the day it’s still going to be their decision,” said Kusch.

He added that Enhance is hoping the ERCB will make a decision by early next year. The company previously indicated it would like to have the pipeline operational by the end of 2012, but Kusch said further planning would be required before this timeline could be confirmed or altered.

The Alberta and Canadian governments have committed $495 million and $63.3 million respectively to the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line project.

hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com