Alberta premier touts opening of new natural gas pipeline

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announces the opening of a pipeline that will see coal plants converted to natural gas. Oct. 18, 2019. (CTV News Edmonton)

The Alberta government is heralding a new natural gas pipeline that will see coal power plants converted to a more environmentally friendly alternative.

TransAlta and Tidewater's 120-kilometre Pioneer Pipeline has been under construction since November 2018,

The 20-inch pipeline will deliver 130 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, expanding to 440 million cubic feet once generating stations are converted to natural gas.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced the new pipeline at TransAlta's Keephills generating station Friday morning, saying it would "create good jobs while reducing emissions in Alberta."

In a tweet about the project, Kenney appeared to take a shot at a climate strike rally in Edmonton that featured Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg.

Kenney said that the pipeline was evidence that the government was taking steps to address climate change.

"Converting power production at the Keephills and Sundance plants from coal to clean Alberta natural gas is a major long-term win for the environment," he said.

"It not only promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 50 per cent, but also dramatically to reduce NOx (Nitrogen Oxide), SOx (Sulpfur Oxide) and particulate emissions down the road, which means improving air quality."

The conversions are expected to be complete by 2021, and two additional units will be repowered by 2023-2024.