LNG Canada Phase 2 FID Could Land in October
Plus rig count hits a 2-year high and Alberta's royalty reveal lands in November
🔥 The Big One
LNG Canada Phase 2 FID Could Drop as Soon as Early October
Shell and partners could sanction the 14 mtpa Phase 2 expansion at Kitimat within weeks, doubling the facility's export capacity on top of the existing 14 mtpa first phase. Phase 1 ran roughly C$40 billion and set off one of the biggest private buildouts in Canadian history, so a Phase 2 green light means a fresh round of BC pipeline, marine and civil subcontract packages. If you're a welder, pipefitter or heavy-civil crew anywhere near northern BC, this is the FID to watch and the one to have your paperwork ready for. No confirmed price tag yet, but sources say partners are working toward a signature as early as next month.
Read the full breakdown →✍️ Editor's Take
Rig count just hit a two-year high, LNG Canada's Phase 2 FID could land within weeks, and Texas regulators keep greenlighting Permian transmission and water lines. That's not noise, that's a hiring signal. Add Alberta's November royalty reveal tied to a 1-million-bpd pipeline and Plains' $585M Powder River grab, and money is moving toward pipe, dirt and iron across three provinces and two basins. If you're a welder, HDD hand or E&I crew in West Texas, New Mexico or northern BC, now's the time to line up Q4 work before the LNG FID wave hits subcontract packages.
FieldNews Staff
This Week in 60 Seconds
- Plains Drops $585M on Powder River Basin Pipe
Wyoming gathering system deal adds 600 miles of crude pipe and grows the Rockies footprint.
- ConocoPhillips Files 126-Well Willow Drilling Plan
Alaska's NPR-A gets a multi-year drilling program with spud targeted for 2027.
- Alberta's New Royalty Framework Lands in November
Smith ties the incentive rollout to a proposed 1 million-bpd pipeline to the BC coast.
- Trainee Electrocuted After Phone Distraction, FACE Finds
A 23-year-old apprentice bypassed energized wire while distracted, a hard lesson for every crew.
- Data Centers Push Contractor Backlog to 8.5 Months
Record data-center contracting is masking a heavy-industrial slowdown and a labor crunch.
📍 Where the Work Is
- Permian Basin / West Texas 🔥 HOT: Rig count climbing, a 370-mile transmission line just got PUC approval, and Enbridge is testing shipper interest in a new 2 Bcf/d gas line to El Paso.
- Gulf Coast Louisiana/Texas 🔥 HOT: Commonwealth LNG, Venture Global and Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 are all stacking offtake deals and equipment orders ahead of construction waves.
- Northern BC / Alberta, Canada: LNG Canada's Phase 2 FID could land within weeks while Alberta preps royalty incentives tied to a 1 million-bpd pipeline push.
- Delaware Basin, New Mexico: Goodnight Midstream just broke ground on a 90-mile produced-water pipeline across Eddy and Lea counties, targeting Q1 2027 service.
- Alaska North Slope: ConocoPhillips filed pool rules for a 126-well Willow development, with drilling starting in 2027 and first oil targeted for 2029.
🟢 Open Windows
Bids, packages, and decisions with a clock on them.
Sept 25
Enbridge West Texas Express Pipeline. Non-binding open season closes for the 2 Bcf/d Permian-to-El Paso gas line, shippers weigh in now.Early Oct 2026
LNG Canada Phase 2 FID. Shell-led partners could sanction the 14 mtpa Kitimat expansion, triggering BC subcontract packages.November 2026
Alberta Royalty Framework. Alberta unveils new preferential royalty terms tied to its 1 million-bpd BC pipeline push.
👷 Crew Market: H&MV Engineering plans to add 1,000 new high-voltage jobs across the US over five years as gigawatt-scale data center builds outpace skilled labor supply.
📈 The Number
595
US rig count just hit its highest level since May 2024, and it's the second straight week of gains. More rigs running means more completions, trucking and E&I work rolling downstream.
Baker Hughes via Reuters/BOE Report
On Your Radar
- Sept 21-25International Pipeline Conference & Expo. Calgary AB, pipeline crews and suppliers network on Canadian buildout
- Sept 22-24SPE Permian Basin Energy Conference. Midland TX, operator budget and drilling talk
- Nov 2026Alberta royalty framework reveal. Smith's incentive plan tied to 1M bpd coast pipeline
- OngoingTWIC Efficiency Act Senate vote pending. House passed bill easing offshore credentialing backlog
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