Canadian environmental agency ponders assessment of proposed propane-by-rail facility

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) is deciding whether an environmental assessment is required for the proposed Fort Saskatchewan Rail Facility Project in Alberta.

To help make its decision, the CEAA is seeking public comments, which must be submitted by July 24. If the agency determines an environmental assessment is necessary, the public will be provided three more opportunities to submit comments on the project, CEAA officials said in a press release.

Plains Midstream Canada ULC (PMC) plans to build a rail yard at its Fort Saskatchewan fractionation plant and storage facility. In operation since the 1970s, the facility is used to receive, store and distribute ethane and natural gas liquids.

Outbound propane currently is transported by trucks and pipelines, and the facility has no rail infrastructure. PMC proposes to expand the operations to export products by rail. The initial rail yard would export 60 rail cars of outbound propane per day.

PMC also plans to further expand the yard to handle an additional 60 cars of condensate. Rail cars would be loaded at the facility and then transported by CN via its adjacent mainline.