The USD$1.2 billion Topolobampo Pipeline can carry 670 million cubic feed of natural gas per day to markets in the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa. TransCanada photo.
Topolobampo Pipeline will provide natural gas to power plants, industrial and urban markets
On Monday, TransCanada announced its Topolobampo Pipeline project has been completed and is now in service. The 560 Kilometre long pipeline has capacity for 670 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa.
The US$1.2 billion project provides upstream interconnection with TransCanada’s Mazatlan Pipeline. The line runs from El Encino, near the city of Chihuahua to Topolobampo, near the Sinaloa city of Los Mochis.
Natural gas that is shipped via Topolobampo will be used at power plants as well as industrial and urban markets for the economic development of the northwest region of Mexico.
“We are developing the infrastructure to feed new power plants and convert existing fuel oil and diesel power plants, thereby reducing both the cost of electricity and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Robert Jones, president, TransCanada Mexico.
“We are proud of the way we overcame technical challenges and completed this difficult project safely.”
According to the Calgary-based company, there were many construction challenges in building the Topolobampo. The pipeline crosses the Tarahumara mountain range and TransCanada had to use innovative techniques, including a raised bore to cross the extreme steep cliff faces. As well, air cranes were deployed to transport pipes to remote locations along the route.
Over the course of construction, the project employed nearly 3,500 employees and contractors and achieved over 10 million man-hours without a lost-time incident.
Throughout the course of the project, TransCanada says it worked closely with landowners and local officials to ensure they were an important part of the development and construction process.
The Topolobampo Pipeline was one of the first projects in Mexico to include federal government-led Indigenous consultations with impacted communities.
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