Today Pipeline Online is publishing in-depth stories from the NDP and Sask Party on last week’s steel tariffs from President Donald Trump. Both parties produced remarkably similar calls to action. Steel is critical for oil infrastructure and production, especially with regards to pipelines. Most of the major pipelines built in Western Canada saw their pipe come out of Regina, but it’s been some time since that mill has produced any pipeline pipe. And now, steel production itself is under threat of tariffs.
NDP on steel tariffs: Pipelines, rail and power transmission
Sask Party on steel tariffs: ports, pipes and rail
The photos you’ll see in the stories are from an exclusive tour I took of the mill in 2009. It was nearly impossible for me to get that access back then, so I haven’t asked for it since. And really, not much will have changed, other than the fact the pipe-making side of the mill has been dormant for a long time now. I’m hearing that workers on the pipe side are or have scattered to the winds. While I’m not certain of that, if true means institutional knowledge to make that pipe is being lost by the day. It’s a live question if we could bring it back into full production of a quality pipe product in a reasonable time?
Consider this – both the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments have made it policy to seek to double their respective oil production. To do so means we would need to effectively double the entire network of Enbridge, Keystone, Express, and Trans Mountain Pipelines. And that’s only for oil – never mind gas. There’s nowhere else in western Canada that can produce that pipe of that scale. We would need to run EVRAZ 24/7/365 at max capacity to accomplish that, and it would likely take decades. We can’t afford to lose it. Because if we do, we’d probably need to bring in pipe from China or possibly Mexico. Seriously.
Heads up: the guest for the Pipeline Online Podcast on Tuesday at 1 p.m. CST will be former Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage. You can watch on X, LinkedIn or Facebook.
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