Alberta's $43.7B pipeline gets a route
Plus: US crude hits a record 13.9M b/d and Permian deals keep stacking up
🔥 The Big One
Alberta Files Route for a $35B to $43.7B West Coast Pipeline
Alberta and Ottawa just filed a formal route for a pipeline pegged at $35.2 billion to $43.7 billion, running from Bruderheim to a new terminal in Delta, B.C., largely following the existing Trans Mountain corridor and moving more than 1 million barrels a day. Trans Mountain Corp and Pembina Pipeline will build and operate it, with construction targeted to start as early as September 2027. Alberta's already sunk $18.3 million into planning, and Premier Danielle Smith is pitching it as a multi-decade revenue play. This is the biggest pipeline on the North American board right now, but the real hiring wave for welders, pipefitters and right-of-way crews is still more than a year out.
Read the full breakdown →✍️ Editor's Take
Rig counts are climbing for the eighth straight week, US crude production just hit a record 13.934 million b/d, and Permian deal flow is stacking up fast with San Mateo's $752 million Cardinal buy and EON's 92-well Eddy County program. Add refiners running at 96.6% capacity chasing near-record margins, and you've got upstream and downstream both leaning on contractors at the same time. Alberta's pipeline mega-project is real money, but it's a 2027-and-beyond story. The actual hiring wave for welders, pipefitters and right-of-way crews is happening now in the Permian and Delaware Basin, not the oil sands, so book your Q3 capacity accordingly.
— FieldNews Staff
This Week in 60 Seconds
- US Crude Output Hits Record 13.934M b/d
Texas hit 5.83M b/d and New Mexico set a record 2.37M b/d, both signaling more Permian completions work.
- $752M Delaware Basin Midstream Deal Closes This Month
San Mateo is buying Cardinal's gathering and processing assets, with closing expected by July 31.
- EON Cleared for 92-Well Permian Program
BLM and New Mexico approved EON's San Andres horizontal program in Eddy County, spud targeted July 2026.
- Alberta Regulator Fines Entrada $437K Over Unreported Spill
AER hit Entrada Resources with a $437,611.98 penalty for an unreported oil release in Clearwater County.
- Refiners Running Flat Out, Margins Near 2022 Highs
Gasoline crack spreads topped $53 a barrel, and refiners at max capacity usually means more turnaround work.
📍 Where the Work Is
- Permian Basin (West Texas & Southeast New Mexico) 🔥 HOT — Record crude output, a $752 million Delaware Basin midstream buy, and EON's 92-well San Andres program all point to a busy back half.
- Alberta 🔥 HOT — A $35.2 billion to $43.7 billion pipeline route just got filed and Pembina sanctioned a C$4.6 billion gas plant, stacking up years of construction work.
- Gulf Coast, Texas — Refiners are running at 96.6% of capacity chasing near-record margins, a good sign for turnaround and maintenance crews.
- Wyoming to Oklahoma corridor — South Bow and Bridger are building the final leg of an Alberta-to-Cushing pipeline, with land and survey work starting now ahead of mid-2027 construction.
- South Texas — SpaceX is set to break ground next month on an 8-mile gas pipeline to its Starbase launch site, a fresh opportunity for regional pipeline subs.
🟢 Open Windows
Bids, packages, and decisions with a clock on them.
Closing expected by Jul 31
San Mateo-Cardinal Midstream Acquisition — San Mateo JV buys Cardinal's Delaware Basin gathering and processing assets; watch for crew transitions.Spud targeted Jul 2026
EON Resources 92-Well Permian Program — San Andres horizontal drilling approved in Eddy County, NM; drilling and completions subs should reach out now.RFQ open now
California HSR Merced-to-Madera Civil Works — $2.4B civil package now out; utility, civil, and specialty subs should start tracking this procurement.Groundbreaking next month
SpaceX Starpipe Pipeline — 8-mile, 16-inch gas pipeline to Starbase breaks ground next month; south Texas pipeline subs should watch for solicitations.
👷 Crew Market: Construction job openings hit a 10-month high of 298,000 in May, but the hiring rate matched an all-time low of 3.5%, a sign firms want crews faster than they can land them.
📈 The Number
1,700%
Canadian oil exports to Asia jumped from $500 million in 2023 to $9.3 billion in 2025, riding on Trans Mountain's expanded capacity. That kind of volume growth keeps west coast terminal and pipeline crews busy for years.
Canadian Energy Centre / ATB Economics via BOE Report
On Your Radar
- Jul 13Congress returns from recess — Highway bill fight resumes before Sept 30 deadline
- Sep 4, 2026NASTT Canadian Project of the Year deadline — Trenchless project entries due for No-Dig North 2026
- Sep 30, 2026Surface transportation funding lapses — $580B highway bill needs Congress action
- Oct 2026Alberta pipeline national interest decision target — Federal designation point for West Coast pipeline
- Jul 1, 2027Ontario Type 2 hard hat rule takes effect — Side-impact-rated hard hats become mandatory
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