Aux Sable Canada
Aux Sable Canada L.P. (ASC) began operations in December 2000 with the startup of the Alliance Pipeline and ASLP’s Channahon Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) Facility. ASC is owned by Fort Chicago (50%) and Enbridge (50%) and is committed to adding value to Western Canada’s refining, upgrading and petrochemical industries. ASC is focused on value-added activities including:
- the processing of offgas from upgrader and refinery operations;
- ethane extraction in Fort Saskatchewan; and
- new NGL injections and rich gas connections into the Alliance pipeline.
On June 30, 2010, ASC and Shell Canada Products executed a long-term Offgas Processing Agreement which secures an offgas feedstock source for the Heartland Offgas Plant (see ASC July 6, 2010 Press Release). The Plant located in the City of Fort Saskatchewan will produce hydrogen, ethane and a propane-plus mix. ASC expects the Plant to be operational in the summer of 2011. All of the products from the Plant will be delivered to Shell via pipelines. ASC will be the first company in Alberta to extract ethane and hydrogen from an upgrader or refinery offgas stream.
Several other similar facilities are at various stages of development.
In August 2009, ASC and Crew Energy entered into a strategic alliance that provides a framework to develop the growing Montney resource play in NE BC. In December 2009, ASC acquired the 25 mmcf per day Septimus Gas Plant in BC’s Montney Shale area from Crew Energy (see ASC Jan 25, 2010 Press Release). The Septimus Gas Plant commenced operation in October 2009 and is contract operated by Crew. The companies plan to expand throughput of the Plant over the course of the next few years.
To advance the strategic alliance, ASC will construct and operate a 20-inch, 20-kilometer pipeline connecting gas from the Septimus Plant to the Alliance Pipeline (See Septimus Pipeline Fact Sheet). The pipeline has been sized to accommodate potential future volumes from Crew and other regional producers and is expected to be operational in the summer of 2010.
New opportunities are constantly being evaluated and are expected to underpin ASC's ability to grow predictable earnings.
