Estimated to cost $4bn, the project will deliver natural gas from the Montney gas-producing region near Dawson Creek, to the LNG Canada liquefied natural gas export facility near Kitimat.
The LNG Canada project is a joint venture led by Shell, with partners Korea Gas Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation and PetroChina Company.
TransCanada president and chief executive officer Russ Girling said the company looks forward to having open discussions with Aboriginal communities and key stakeholder groups, including local residents, elected officials and the Government of British Columbia, where it will listen to feedback, build on the positive and seek to address any potential concerns.
"Coastal GasLink will add value to British Columbians, particularly Aboriginals and communities along the conceptual route, by creating real jobs, making direct investments in communities during construction, and providing economic value for years to come," Girling added.
"The potential Coastal GasLink pipeline project will allow British Columbians, and all Canadians, to benefit from the responsible development of valuable natural gas resources, and will provide access to new markets for that gas."
Natural gas will be sourced from Montney, Horn River and Cordova basins and elsewhere from the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin.
The pipeline will be 700km long with initial pipeline capacity of more than 1.7 billion cubic feet of gas per day.
The final pipeline route will consider aboriginal and stakeholder input, the environment, archaeological and cultural values, land use compatibility, safety, constructability and economics.
