Coastal GasLink pipeline project 98 per cent complete

A trestle bridge being constructed to support cryogenic pipes that will transfer liquefied natural gas from storage to ships at berth is seen at the LNG Canada export terminal, in Kitimat, B.C., on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

CALGARY -

TC Energy Corp. says its Coastal GasLink pipeline project is 98 per cent complete.

Coastal GasLink is a 670-kilometre pipeline spanning northern British Columbia that will carry natural gas across the province to the LNG Canada processing and export facility in Kitimat, B.C.

TC Energy says the pipeline will be mechanically complete before the end of the year.

Earlier this year, the company raised the estimated project price tag for Coastal GasLink to $14.5 billion, up significantly from a previous estimate of $11.2 billion and more than double the initial cost estimate of $6.2 billion.

Over the course of the project, the pipeline's construction has also attracted opposition and protests from environmentalists and Indigenous leaders.

While many Indigenous groups along the project's pathway support the pipeline, the hereditary Wet'suwet'en chiefs, whose territory the pipeline crosses, do not.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2023.