OTTAWA, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project has asked Canadian regulators for a route deviation on a 1.3-kilometre (0.8 mile)section of pipeline in British Columbia, months before the 600,000 barrel per day project is due to start shipping crude.
In the application TMC said it had encountered "significant technical challenges" micro-tunnelling through hard rock formations and requested to instead adjust the pipeline route and use a conventional open trench.
Last week the regulator gave TMC until end of day on Wednesday to provide more information on its request.
Now that it is nearing completion, the government has approached Indigenous groups looking at buying a stake in the pipeline.
"We are confident that the business case for the Trans Mountain pipeline remains solid," he added, when asked whether the government would have to sell the pipeline for less than it cost to build it.
Persons:
Justin Trudeau, We're, Trudeau, Prince Edward Island, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Nia Williams, Bill Berkrot, Sonali Paul
Organizations:
OTTAWA, Canada Energy Regulator, Canadian, Trans Mountain Corp, TMC, Thomson
Locations:
British Columbia, Kamloops, Columbia, Burnaby , British Columbia, United States, Charlottetown, Prince, Ottawa