The Province of Prince Edward Island appeared last night before the Sable Off-Shore Energy Project Public Review Panel in Halifax, NS to present its case to have the pipeline extended to PEI. The Joint Public Review Panel for the Sable Gas Project is holding the hearings concerning proposals to develop six natural gas fields in the area of Sable Island, as well as construction of a gas plant, storage facilities and pipeline in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Mobil Oil Canada Properties, Shell Canada Limited and others are proposing to develop six offshore gas fields in the area of Sable Island. Their proposal includes a pipeline to bring gas to shore, a gas plant at Goldboro, NS, a pipeline to ship natural gas liquids from the gas plant to Point Tupper, NS and storage facilities for the natural gas liquids at Point Tupper. Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline Management Ltd. want to construct a pipeline to transport the gas from the gas plant at Goldboro, through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to the United States border near St. Stephen, NB. A pipeline will be constructed in the United States that will transport the gas to markets in the northeastern US.
The province's intervention in the hearing deals with the failure of the current proposal to address the existing and potential markets for natural gas in the Maritime region and to support the "postage stamp" approach to tolls and tariffs charged for transporting gas.
"Prince Edward Island is seeking an extension to the pipeline which would provide the province with access to natural gas in the future," said Wes MacAleer, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. "As natural gas penetrates the Maritime market, PEI foresees a situation where its availability could become a key factor in determining where certain types of industry may locate. Prince Edward Island does not want to be made less competitive regionally, should natural gas prove to be a cheaper source of energy to generate electricity."
The environmental and socio-economic effects of these projects are being considered by the Joint Public Review Panel which consists of five members. The panel will also consider certain aspects of these projects as members of the National Energy Board and one member of the panel will consider certain aspects as a Commissioner for the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board.