Trump issues new permit for TransCanada’s $8bn Keystone XL project

US President Donald Trump has issued a new presidential permit for the construction of TransCanada’s long-delayed $8bn Keystone XL pipeline project, which will transport crude from Alberta to the US Gulf Coast.

The Keystone XL pipeline would carry 800,000bbl/d of crude from Canada’s oil sands to refineries located along the US Gulf of Mexico.

The latest move replaces Trump’s previous permits in an attempt to get around the blocking of the project by the US District Court for Montana last November.

Reuters reported that under the new approval, it was not immediately clear if the pipeline would have to undergo extensive new environmental reviews.

In February, US District Court refused TransCanada’s request to undertake pre-construction work on the 1,905km pipeline, hindering the company’s plans to commence its construction this year.

TransCanada president and CEO Russ Girling said: “President Trump has been clear that he wants to create jobs and advance US energy security and the Keystone XL pipeline does both of those things.

“We thank President Trump for his leadership and steadfast support to enable the advancement of this critical energy infrastructure project for North America.

“The Keystone XL pipeline has been studied more than any other pipeline in history and the environmental reviews are clear – the project can be built and operated in an environmentally sustainable and responsible way.”

For more than a decade, the pipeline has been pending after former President Barack Obama rejected saying that the project would contribute to global warming.

The 36in-diameter crude oil Keystone XL pipeline will start in Hardisty, Alberta, and extend south to Steele City, Nebraska.

It will serve as a critical infrastructure project for the economic strength and energy security of the US and is expected to create several jobs.