TransCanada Places Topolobampo Pipeline Into Service

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On Monday July 16th, TransCanada Corporation announced that its Topolobampo, Sinaloa Pipeline project has been placed into service in northern Mexico, providing capacity for 670 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to markets in the states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa. The project represents an investment of approximately US$1.2 billion and provides the upstream interconnection with the company’s Mazatlan Pipeline.

The project involved the construction of approximately 560 kilometres (348 miles) of 30-inch diameter pipeline from El Encino, near the city of Chihuahua, to Topolobampo, near the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa. Combined, the Topolobampo and Mazatlan pipelines form a system that adds over 870 kilometres (540 miles) of critical energy infrastructure that will play a fundamental role in providing natural gas to power plants, industrial and urban markets for the economic development of the northwest region of Mexico.

“The completion of the Topolobampo and Mazatlan pipeline system is an important milestone for TransCanada as we continue to expand our portfolio to deliver natural gas to serve Mexico’s electric generation needs. We are developing the infrastructure to feed new power plants and convert existing fuel oil and diesel power plants, thereby reducing both the cost of electricity and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Robert Jones, president, TransCanada Mexico. “We are proud of the way we overcame technical challenges and completed this difficult project safely.”

The construction of the Topolobampo Pipeline presented some of the most demanding construction challenges in the country given the geography along the route, including crossing the Tarahumara mountain range near the Copper Canyon in the state of Chihuahua. TransCanada used innovative techniques such as a raised bore to cross the extreme steep cliff faces and air cranes for transporting pipes to remote locations along the route.

Over the course of construction, the project employed nearly 3,500 employees and contractors and achieved over 10 million man-hours without a lost-time incident. Throughout the course of the project, TransCanada worked closely with landowners and local officials to ensure they were an important part of the development and construction process. This project was one of the first projects in Mexico to include federal government-led Indigenous consultations with impacted communities.

TransCanada’s presence in Mexico dates back to the mid-1990s with the construction of the first two privately owned pipelines in the country. The company’s natural gas pipelines in Mexico – either in operation or under construction – now total over 3,190 kilometres (1,982 miles) with a capacity of 7.1 billion cubic feet per day and an investment of approximately US$5.6 billion.

With more than 65 years’ experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas and liquids pipelines, power generation and gas storage facilities. TransCanada operates one of the largest natural gas transmission networks that extends more than 91,900 kilometres (57,100 miles), tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is a leading provider of gas storage and related services with 653 billion cubic feet of storage capacity.

A large independent power producer, TransCanada currently owns or has interests in approximately 6,100 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada is also the developer and operator of one of North America’s leading liquids pipeline systems that extends approximately 4,900 kilometres (3,000 miles), connecting growing continental oil supplies to key markets and refineries. TransCanada’s common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TRP.

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