Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC | Westridge Marine Terminal Upgrade and Expansion

Permit amendment issued

In March 2023, amendment PER No. 19-162-09 was issued to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC. The amendment approved the request to allow construction activities outside of standard hours, located at Westridge Marine Terminal at the foot of Bayview Drive in Burnaby, British Columbia on federal lands and waters managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

As a Designated project under the Impact Assessment Act, the proposed amendment was not required to be posted the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry as part of the Project and Environmental Review.

Permit amendments issued

In December 2022, amendment PER No. 19-162-08 was issued to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC.  The amendment approved the request to undertake construction outside of regular hours for works located at Westridge Marine Terminal at the foot of Bayview Drive in Burnaby, British Columbia on federal lands and waters managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

In December 2022, amendment PER No. 19-162-07 was issued to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC.  The amendment approved the request to extend the expiry date of PER No. 19-162 from December 31, 2022, to August 31, 2024 for works located at Westridge Marine Terminal at the foot of Bayview Drive in Burnaby, British Columbia on federal lands and waters managed by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

On September 1, 2022, the port authority issued amendment PER No. 19-162-06 to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC. The amendment approved the continuation of limited construction outside of regular work hours (Monday to Saturday, 24 hours a day) for a period of six months. The amendment also approved hydrostatic testing on Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., starting on the date of approval. A construction notice was sent to the community. No pile driving will be conducted at night or on Sundays.

On March 3, 2022, the port authority issued amendment PER No. 19-162-05 to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC. The amendment approved the continuation of limited construction outside of regular work hours (Monday to Saturday, 24 hours a day) for a period of six months. The amendment also approved essential works on Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., starting on the date of approval. A construction notice was sent to the community. No pile driving will be conducted at night or on Sundays.

On August 24, 2021, the port authority issued amendment PER No. 19-162-04 to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC. The amendment approved the continuation of limited construction outside of regular work hours for a period of six months, commencing on September 7, 2021. A construction notice was sent to the community prior to work continuing. Night work was permitted 24 hours Monday – Saturday, with no night works permitted on Sundays or holidays.

On March 3, 2021, the port authority issued amendment PER No. 19-162-03 to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC to continue limited construction outside of regular work hours for a period of six months. A construction notice was sent to the community prior to work continuing. Additional limited construction works were also approved, due to commence March 23, 2021. A construction notice was sent to the community prior to work beginning.

On September 17, 2020, the port authority issued amendment PER No. 19-162-02 to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC. The amendment approved work outside of regular work hours on two consecutive Sundays in either October or November 2020 (date to be communicated to the community in advance) in order for work to be undertaken on the Jet Fuel Line.

On June 24, 2020, the port authority issued amendment PER No. 19-162-01 to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC. The amendment included approval for construction outside of regular work hours, an amendment to the communications summary requirement, and an administration correction.

Permit issued

On September 27, 2019 a project permit was approved for Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC to upgrade and expand a portion of the existing Westridge Marine Terminal. The terminal is partially located on federal lands and waters managed by the port authority at the foot of Bayview Drive in Burnaby, British Columbia.

The Project was approved subject to 64 permit conditions that the permit holder must meet to ensure that the Project is constructed safely, will not likely cause significant adverse environmental effects, and considers the interests of local communities.

Construction is anticipated to begin in October, 2019 and is scheduled to take approximately 3.5 years to complete. For more information about the Project and construction activities, please visit the applicant’s website.

Project History

On August 28, 2017, the port authority previously issued Project Permit No. 15-322 to Kinder Morgan Canada Limited authorizing upgrades to the Westridge Marine Terminal. Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC commenced construction of the Westridge Marine Terminal upgrades in September 2017.

On May 29, 2018, the Government of Canada and Kinder Morgan announced that they had entered into a Share and Unit Purchase Agreement (Agreement). Under the Agreement, the Government of Canada acquired the shares and units of all the entities that own and operate the existing Trans Mountain pipeline.

On August 30, 2018, the Federal Court of Appeal issued a decision in Tsleil-Waututh v. Canada (AG) 2018 FCA 153 setting aside the Governor in Council’s approval of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, rendering the National Energy Board’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) OC-064 a nullity. A new CPCN was issued for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project on June 21, 2019, following a reinitiated Indigenous consultation process, reconsideration of project-related marine shipping and approval by the Governor in Council on June 18, 2019.

On August 2, 2019, the port authority issued a letter to Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC to advise that as a result of the Federal Court of Appeal decision, Project Permit No. 15-322 was no longer valid and a new project permit application was required for the Westridge Marine Terminal Upgrade and Expansion Project.

About the Project

The Westridge Marine Terminal Upgrade and Expansion Project is part of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, which is a Designated Project under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. On June 18, 2019 the Government of Canada approved the Trans Mountain Expansion Project subject to 156 conditions. For more information on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project environmental assessment process please visit the National Energy Board and British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office websites.

Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC is proposing to upgrade and expand the Westridge Marine Terminal in order to handle an increased volume of various crude oil types. The system will be capable of serving up to 34 Aframax class vessels per month. The maximum size of vessels served at Westridge Marine Terminal will not change due to the Terminal Upgrade and Expansion Project. Following the completion of the Terminal Upgrade and Expansion Project, it is intended that operations at the Westridge Marine Terminal would occur on a 24-hours-per-day basis, seven-days-a-week.

General description

• Construction of a new three-berth marine terminal including new pile supported berth structures extending approximately 250 m into Burrard Inlet, new circular sheet pile retaining wall and land infill
• The construction of associated office and control building, utilities, fire suppression systems and mechanical systems
• Construction of new in-water habitat and riparian planting areas
• Sections of new transfer and delivery pipelines and related equipment
• Decommissioning and demolition of certain facilities at the terminal

Site preparation

• Modifications and relocation of existing utilities
• Modifications to existing mechanical systems at the terminal
• Removal of existing Pier 59
• Temporary relocation of an existing utility dock from Pier 59 to Pier 61 during construction phase
• Surface soils and vegetation clearing along the foreshore extension area – Previously completed under Project Permit No. 15-322
• Installation of an in-water circular sheet pile retaining wall – Partially completed under Project Permit No. 15-322
• Densification of existing soils, placement of new imported fill, and compaction of fill behind the retaining wall to create new land in Burrard Inlet
• Rip-rap removal in the foreshore area for construction of a new dock complex and extension into the water – Previously completed under Project Permit No. 15-322
• Removal of abandoned culverts within the foreshore extension area

Marine berth expansion and new operations facilities

• Demolition and decommissioning of the existing terminal berth and associated facilities
• Installation of approximately 152 in-water piles to support new berth structures (piles range in size from approximately 1.4 m to 2.0 m in diameter) – Partially completed under Project Permit No. 15-322
• Construction of a new three-berth dock complex encompassing approximately 275,000 m2 of water lot area
• New mooring dolphins, pipeline loading and delivery infrastructure, fender systems, vehicular access and utility connections as part of the new dock complex

Onshore and marine construction temporary facilities

• Barges with office, lunchroom and washroom facilities
• Storage barges with equipment and material storage areas
• Marine equipment including barge mounted derricks for pile driving and supporting barges
• Installation of a safety boom around marine work areas extending approximately 350 metres into Burrard Inlet and anchored at each end by a new pile
  • The marine safety boom was originally planned to be in use during construction. On October 25, 2022 the Canada Energy Regulator approved the reconfiguration and extended the use of the marine safety boom to 2027. The port authority also accepted the reconfiguration and extended use of the marine safety boom. See the document listed under resources for more information.
• Office trailers
• Washroom trailers
• Equipment storage trailer
• Water treatment plants
• Equipment storage trailers
• Water treatment plants

Resources

Contact information

For information about the project, please visit Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC’s website, or contact Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC by email or by phone at 1.866.514.6700.

If you have any questions about the application, or if you have questions on our permitting process, please contact the port authority’s Community Feedback line at [email protected] or 604-665-9004.