Even though Emera’s Brunswick Pipeline has been under construction since November 2007, the project was dealt a small blow early last week when Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) decided to reject a portion of the pipeline route based on the objection of Galbraith Construction Ltd. and Galbraith Equipment Co. Ltd.

The pipeline, which received NEB approval last summer (see NGI, June 4, 2007), will deliver natural gas from the planned Canaport liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving and regasification terminal near Saint John, NB, to markets in Canada and the U.S. Northeast. The 90-mile, 30-inch diameter pipeline will extend through southwest New Brunswick to an interconnection with Maritimes & Northeast at the Canada/U.S. border near St. Stephen, NB.

The NEB’s rejection decision relates to the section of Brunswick Pipeline’s proposed route where it crosses two properties owned by the Galbraith companies located in the western part of Saint John between South Bay and Churchill Heights.

The NEB found that the detailed route proposed by Brunswick Pipeline at this specific location is not the best possible route for the pipeline. In the board’s view, while further evidence would be required to determine a more suitable location for the pipeline, a better route appears to be either:

In the coming weeks, the NEB said decisions involving other landowner objections to the proposed Brunswick Pipeline detailed route that were considered at this hearing, including two other Galbraith objections, will be released as they become available.

In a February update, Canaport LNG LP, the partnership of Repsol YPF and Irving Oil, said the overall Canaport LNG project is 70% complete with 50% of the construction completed. The company said the terminal is still expected to be operational by the end of 2008. At commissioning, the terminal will have a sendout capacity of 1 Bcf/d with a peak capacity of 1.2 Bcf/d and could be expanded to 2 Bcf/d (see NGI, Sept. 10, 2007).

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