The NEBC Connector, which would move around 98,000 b/d of Montney Shale liquid byproducts, has cleared a court hurdle erected last year that stiffened protection of Indigenous territory in northeastern British Columbia (BC).

Montney Shale

NorthRiver Midstream NEBC Connector GP Inc., a subsidiary of Brookfield Infrastructure LP, was seeking approval by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) to build a 215-kilometer (130-mile) natural gas liquids (NGL) system with dual pipes.

In a two-to-one split decision, a CER tribunal allowed the C$350 million ($280 million) project to advance into an approval assessment after a contested preliminary application “completeness” review. The preliminary stage lasted nine months and affected 35 Indigenous bands.

The marathon preliminaries sought adaptations...