New facilities increase capacity on NGTL System
Last updated on
Emerson Creek and Saddle Hills Compressor Stations harness innovation
NGTL’s Emerson Creek Compressor Station (CS) and Saddle Hills CS C4 Unit Addition Projects in Alberta leveraged emerging technology to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduce related carbon taxes.
The Emerson Creek CS, located 40 km northwest of Edson, Alberta, went into service on April 1, 2024, with two 30-megawatt (MW) compressor units, and on April 19 we completed a 30 MW compressor unit addition to our existing Saddle Hills CS, located 41 km west of Spirit River, Alta.
With the successful commissioning of Saddle Hills CS C4 Unit Addition our Groundbirch Mainline Loop (Saturn Section) and Saddle Hills CS C4 Unit Addition Project is now complete.
In total, the addition of 90 MW of new compression along with the 23 km pipeline loop provides increased system capacity that is underpinned by 255TJ/d (238 MMcf/d).
Did you know?
A pipeline loop is not a circle. A looped pipeline runs parallel to an existing pipeline and has similar start and end points. The looped pipeline is generally constructed in an existing right-of-way (ROW), where possible, reducing environmental and land disturbances, construction cost and time.
Innovation
Emissions skid intake and compressor
Both Emerson Creek CS and Saddle Hills CS C4 Unit Addition projects introduced an innovative approach to reducing GHGs by capturing emissions using a reinjection skid designed in collaboration with Siemens Energy.
“The skid captures a small amount of gas being released as it moves through the compressor unit. The result is less emissions, less carbon tax, and we help our customers drive more value for the commodity,” explained Emerson Creek CS Project Manager, Jared Stein. Based on the long-term results of the technology, it could be applied to other compressor stations.
Innovative and collaborative thinking enabled Emerson Creek CS to realize nearly $70-millon in cost savings over the life cycle of the Project.
Safety
Emerson Creek Compressor Station, 40 km northwest of Edson, Alberta.
Throughout construction, both projects achieved significant safety accomplishments.
Saddle Hills CS C4 Unit Addition did not have a recordable safety incident in more than 224,000 hours of work.
“I’m very proud of our team and everything we accomplished on site,” beamed Saddle Hills CS Project Manager Kerem Kozak. “The culture, communication, and collaboration on site between our TC Energy project team, our prime contractor, TC Energy operations and all stakeholders contributed to everyone going above and beyond for the Project, and for the company, which was tremendous.”
Emerson Creek CS’s Project team leveraged existing, previously disturbed land to situate its workforce accommodations within walking distance to the construction site, eliminating hours of potentially unsafe commuting on unpaved logging roads. This reduced driving exposure by an estimated 50 per cent.
Safety was always top-of-mind during last spring’s wildfires. Proactively, the Emerson Creek CS Project voluntarily evacuated their workforce as a precautionary safety measure to ensure they did not strain resources for firefighters and other first responder crews focused on protecting the nearby town of Edson.
Creating value for our communities
“Throughout projects, we work to direct funds to local municipalities and Indigenous communities. Projects provide such an economic value and witnessing the output of that is pretty incredible,” explained Stein.
Economic benefits
| * Peak Work Force | 693 jobs |
| * Annual Property Taxes | $2.16M |
| < Community Investment/Impact | $4.92M |
* Emerson Creek, Saddle Hills and Saturn Projects
< Excluding Saddle Hills Project
“Seeing an entire facility that's been built by the collective efforts of so many. It really does take a team to bring a complex project to fruition and it's very humbling to see the culmination of that effort.”
— Jared Stein, Emerson Creek CS Project Manager