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TC Energy Corporation TRP has reaffirmed its commitment to the Canadian Mainline, one of its most critical infrastructure assets, amid rising geopolitical risks and a renewed focus on energy security. It will neither sell nor convert the natural gas pipeline, citing its crucial role in the company’s portfolio and its fully contracted status.
TC Energy anticipates that natural gas and electricity demand is expected to grow by 75% by 2035, fueled by expanding LNG exports and rising electricity needs from AI and data centers. It is uniquely positioned with infrastructure across Canada, the United States and Mexico and seeks to capitalize on this trend to attain energy independence in the future. Therefore, the company’s decision to retain the Canadian Mainline is of utmost importance.
An Insight Into the Canadian Mainline
The Canadian Mainline is a 14,082-kilometer natural gas pipeline system that transports natural gas from the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin to key markets across the Prairies, Eastern Canada (including Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada), as well as the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. It operates through a suite of reliable service offerings, including Firm Transportation, Long-Term Fixed Price and other tailored solutions to meet diverse customer requirements. Over its long history, the Mainline has been instrumental in supporting economic development, creating employment and fueling industrial growth in communities across the country.
With political rhetoric around U.S.-Canada trade intensifying, the asset has gained new relevance in both national policy discourse and long-term energy planning.
TRP’s Commitment to Contractual Obligation
The company’s decision aligns with its evolving strategy of energy security. After spinning off its oil pipeline division last year, TC Energy has sharpened its focus on natural gas and power generation. The spin-off makes the Canadian Mainline one of the critical assets in the company’s energy infrastructure and also a centerpiece of its long-term business plan.
Poirier, TRP’s CEO, stated that nearly all of the pipeline’s capacity is under long-term contracts with natural gas shippers and some of these contracts extend for decades into the future. This legal obligation renders any previously proposed conversion unviable.
Strategic Stability in a Volatile Era
TC Energy’s decision highlights its commitment to regulated, stable revenue-generating assets amid a volatile macro environment. The retention of the Canadian Mainline mitigates exposure to regulatory and political risks associated with cross-border infrastructure while supporting Canada’s broader push for domestic energy resilience.