The Canadian Mainline is comprised of approximately 14 100 km (8761 miles) of pipeline and associated facilities and primarily transports Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) natural gas for delivery across the Prairie provinces and to markets in Eastern Canada and the United States.
“This settlement is the product of a comprehensive collaborative process of engagement and negotiation with our Canadian Mainline customers. It enhances competitiveness and provides toll certainty for our customers while maintaining stable revenue for TC Energy,” said Russ Girling, TC Energy’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The settlement highlights the continued importance of the Canadian Mainline and we appreciate the efforts of industry to work with us to create innovative solutions that utilize this critical transportation link to enhance the long-term success of the WCSB.”
The settlement is designed to facilitate cost-effective transportation of natural gas from the WCSB. The agreement:
- encompasses a six-year term from January 2021 through December 2026;
- sets an equity return of 10.1% on 40% deemed common equity, subject to variance depending on actual operating costs and natural gas throughput;
- sets tolls for the term for separate segments of the Canadian Mainline, including a 20% reduction from existing tolls on the western portion of the system that includes the path from Empress to Emerson;
- includes a sharing mechanism incentivising TC Energy to achieve cost efficiencies and increased revenues;
- and affirms TC Energy’s pricing flexibility and allows new market-driven services to enhance flexibility to respond to changing market conditions.
The full application is available for viewing on the CER website.
