Canada's National Energy Board granted approval in December to the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project, which would string a natural gas pipeline from the upper-reaches of the Northwest Territories, Canada, 745 miles south into Northern Alberta. Before the $16.2-billion project can proceed, backers must put in place a funding framework.
"Mackenzie needs to compete on a supply-cost basis with other sources of supply," says Pius Rolheiser, Calgary-based Mackenzie project spokesperson." It remains the critical challenge today to be cost- competitive with shale gas, liquefied natural gas and potential Alaska projects."
While Mackenzie runs primarily south, staying entirely in Canada, two proposed pipelines connecting natural gas fields in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Alberta via Canada's Yukon Territory and British Columbia both find themselves in negotiations with suppliers and plan Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) applications in one to two years.
然而，天然气从阿拉斯加北部向南流动可能需要更长的时间。美国能源信息管理局在12月下旬发布了一份报告，称未来20年中不需要在阿拉斯加进行新的主要天然气管道，尤其是考虑到建筑物相关的高成本。18luck.cub
The earliest proponents see a decision on the Mackenzie project, which would develop three major Canadian Arctic natural-gas fields, is 2013. The earliest gas would flow would be 2018. That's the best-case scenario, as the 30-inch-dia pipeline and associated infrastructure require approval for about 6,000 regulatory construction permits.
总部位于蒙特利尔BMO资本市场的分析师Randy Ollenberger表示，他的公司不认为未来十年的Mackenzie项目是“鉴于大量的非常规的汽油机会是更经济的经济机会”。他说，随着页岩气生产的不断增加，麦肯齐可能需要政府补贴才能继续前进。
他希望与加拿大政府看到共同的“风险和奖励”协议。涉及的公司 - 帝国石油（团队负责人），壳牌加拿大，康菲石油公司，埃克森美孚和原住民管道集团的“长期视图”，并预计到2020年和2030年，市场将需要天然气。Rolhseiser说：“构造不会基于当前的市场状况和近期预测。”该公司认为，需求将进一步增长，并在传统生产地位麦肯齐（Mackenzie）良好的情况下下降。重新准备项目团队需要资金。
如果管道是构建并进行运营的，它可以处理每天12亿立方英尺的气体，其中约为三分之二来自锚田，为其他运输协议开放了空间。
TransCanada和Exxonmobil加入了阿拉斯加管道项目，该项目实际上有两条拟议的路线，每天携带11亿立方英尺的气体。一条路线从32美元到410亿加元不等，从阿拉斯加北坡到艾伯塔省现有的管道基础设施约1,700英里（在美国为734英里，在加拿大734英里）。TransCanada发言人詹姆斯·米拉尔（James Millar）表示，第二种选择范围从200亿美元到260亿美元不等，它将以800英里的管道运输汽油，并带有“多个”潜在托运人，并希望在宣布未来协议时将其公开选择。这些公司计划在2012年向FERC提交。
The proposed Denali Alaska Gas Pipeline, owned by BP and ConocoPhillips, would put 4.5 billion cubic feet per day of gas through a 1,750-mile pipeline (730 miles in the U.S. and 1,020 Canadian) along a nearly identical route as the first TransCanada option at a cost of $35 billion. After closing a solicitation period this year for companies to commit to transporting gas, Denali plans application filings with FERC in 2011.
Denali总裁Bud Fackrell说：“ Denali获得了潜在托运人的重大能力的竞标。”“我们将仔细评估这些投标及其条件，并继续与潜在的托运人进行机密谈判，以达成约束力协议。”
与这些公司一起，西北地区的原住民部落希望Mackenzie Project是该地区最大的资本项目。“对于Mackenzie Valley和Beaufort Delta地区，该项目是创造经济未来以及为北方人民创造独立和自给自足的未来的唯一现实方式。”
