This includes Dow Chemical, which plans to build an $8.9-billion net-zero ethylene processing facility in Fort Saskatchewan, Heidelberg Materials’ Edmonton facility that aims to be the world’s first full-scale cement plant equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS), and McCain Foods, which requires more natural gas for a planned expansion of its French fry factory in Coaldale. PROSPERITY DRIVER Edmonton Global CEO Malcolm Bruce described the Yellowhead Pipeline as a “visionary”infrastructure project in his letter of support to the AUC. “The [project] will create jobs, enable billions in new investment and drive Alberta’s hydrogen roadmap and natural gas vision and strategy.” ATCO’s projections show the pipeline will generate substantial economic benefits. The company estimates that during construction, it will support 12,000 jobs and contribute $1.6 billion per year to Alberta’s economy. Once in operation, the pipeline is expected to support 23,700 jobs per year and add $3.9 billion annually to Alberta’s GDP. For Sturgeon County, the project also provides much-needed certainty that natural gas will be available for the $30 billion in new industrial investments the region is hoping to attract in the coming years. FUTURE PLANS The municipality is already home to major operations including the NWR Sturgeon Refinery and Nutrien fertilizer plant, both of which capture carbon dioxide emissions that are transported through the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line for deep underground storage near Clive, Alberta. Hnatiw said future development may include hydrogen production with CCS, petrochemical processing, gas-fired power plants and large-scale data centres. “With our operations running near capacity right now, this new pipeline helps alleviate
the uncertainty around gas supplies for industrial developers,” Hnatiw said. The county’s industrial goals are inextricably tied to ensuring its farming sector continues to flourish, she said. “Eighty per cent of our land base is agricultural, but it only accounts for one per cent of our budget as far as taxes go, so we need our industrial residents to support our rural way of life,” she said.
“We don’t want people to have to leave our community to make a living. We want a future that is full of opportunity, and one that is also sustainable for the families that produce our food, our fuel, and all the other value-added products we can provide.” ATCO’s next step is to file for AUC approval to build the pipeline later this year. The company expects construction to begin in 2026.
From fertilizer and plastics to petrochemicals and hydrogen, natural gas is the lynchpin for us into the future. ” “
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