Earlier, Fort Hills Energy selected TransCanada to design, build, own and operate the $800m Northern Courier pipeline project, which is fully contracted under a long-term agreement.
The approximately 90km pipeline system will be designed to transport bitumen and diluent products between the Fort Hills mine and bitumen extraction facility and Suncor’s East Tank Farm, located north of Fort McMurray, Alberta.
The pipeline project features a 24-inch diameter insulated steel pipeline to transport bitumen, and a 12-inch diameter steel pipeline to transport diluent.
TransCanada president and chief executive officer Russ Girling said: "We are pleased that the Alberta Energy Regulator has approved Northern Courier, which will be a critical piece of infrastructure to support the long-term plans for growth and increased production from the Alberta oil sands.
"We currently expect construction on Northern Courier to begin in the third quarter of 2014, with it being ready for service by 2017."
Northern Courier is part of TransCanada’s capital growth plan, which comprises $38bn of commercially secured projects scheduled to be completed by the end of the decade.
