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Or sign-in if you have an account.Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the submission of the West Coast Pipeline Project at Trans Am Piping Products in Calgary on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Gavin Young/PostmediaIt’s a case of momentum building upon itself.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorFollowing a flurry of announcements and potential pipeline progress, Alberta energy leaders said this week they are hopeful that talk about building major projects in Canada — including new infrastructure — will turn into real action, noting it’s already weighing on commercial decisions.“It’s night and day, really, from what we saw previously over the past year,” Gibson Energy CEO Curtis Philippon said in an interview Tuesday, a day after the company released second-quarter results.“All of a sudden, you are starting to see more concrete announcements. Still, more to come.”Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAn array of proposals to optimize pipeline capacity out of Western Canada have been advancing this year, while Alberta’s plan to develop a greenfield oil pipeline to the British Columbia coast was sent to the federal Major Projects Office for consideration this month.Other energy projects have also been progressing, and with global oil prices still high — amid the war in the Middle East — it’s anticipated new infrastructure will be required for Canada to export more oil and natural gas.“In direct discussions with our customers, we are seeing more optimism that these things are real and not just talk,” Philippon added.“We still need to see more concrete action and more specifics to really see this play out, but I would say (the) positivity has gone up dramatically, and it’s to the point now where people are starting to take commercial decisions with this in mind.”Gibson Energy announced Monday it recorded net income of $83 million during the second quarter, up $22 million from the same period last year.The Calgary-based energy infrastructure company provides storage, processing and gathering of oil and refined products in Western Canada, and it owns the Gateway Terminal in Texas.It has more than 25 million barrels of terminal storage capacity on both sides of the border, including more than 16 million barrels of oil tankage in Alberta.More pipelines out of Western Canada would allow for increased oil production, along with the need for additional energy infrastructure.“From our perspective, all egress is good egress. All egress helps our customers grow, and ultimately means that you need more connecting pipelines and you need more tankage,” Philippon said.“Our customers are already talking about what do they need to do to go get this production online.” Gibson Energy CEO Curtis Philippon. Supplied photoAcross the sector, there is a growing sense of what’s possible — that new pipeline projects could move ahead and diversify Canada’s exports.Separate pipeline proposals from Enbridge, South Bow and Trans Mountain Corp. to expand their existing systems could bolster egress capacity by more than 1.2 million barrels per day.Some producers increased output as oil prices surged above US$100 a barrel this spring, or are now looking at future growth. West Texas Intermediate crude closed Tuesday at $79.26 a barrel.Tamarack Valley Energy CEO Brian Schmidt said pipeline proposals and government efforts are giving industry leaders hope that major projects can get across the finish line. ​“The confidence that Canada is giving investors is way better,” said Schmidt, whose company released second-quarter results Tuesday with net earnings of $205 million, up 139 per cent from a year ago.“We don’t have a big project yet, but compare this to where we were five years ago. Every time we turned around, we were regulating ourselves into oblivion. And we have a much more positive environment right now.” File photo: Brian Schmidt, president and CEO of Tamarack Valley Energy, is pictured along with his bronze sculpture Portrait of a Roughneck by Don Toney on Friday, Jan. 2, 2015. Photo by Ted Rhodes /Calgary HeraldAt the start of this month, Alberta submitted its plan to the federal Major Projects Office for approval of a proposed million-barrel-a-day pipeline that would transport oil from northeast of Edmonton to the southern B.C. coast.The project would be owned and developed by Alberta, the federal government and Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline.And two weeks ago, both governments and members of the Oil Sands Alliance unveiled a memorandum of understanding, looking to create a framework that would see oilsands operators hike production and build the Pathways carbon capture network in northern Alberta.“I don’t know if we think all of those projects are going to go ahead, but certainly it does feel like we’re entering into a bit more of a growth orientation,” TD Cowen analyst Aaron MacNeil said Tuesday.For the head of Mullen Group, talk about building new energy infrastructure is helpful — if it’s followed by action.“I’m pleasantly surprised from what we’re seeing from our elected officials and their approach to some very complex issues to get major projects done,” Murray Mullen, the company’s chair and senior executive officer, said during an earnings call.“We have a higher level of confidence today than we did at the start of the year. They’re still complex files, and they have not been all acted upon yet.” Murray Mullen, president and CEO of the Mullen Group, speaks with media at an announcement in Calgary on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Gavin Young/PostmediaThe Okotoks-based company, one of the country’s largest diversified trucking and logistics providers, announced it’s setting aside another $50 million for capital expenditures as it looks to grow its business.Mullen Group released results for the April-to-June period showing net income rose 41 per cent to $36 million.Along with truck, warehousing, custom brokerage and logistics services, Mullen operates a segment that provides services to the energy and natural resources sectors, such as fluid hauling, drilling-related services, and pipeline handling and hauling.New pipelines and more production to fill them would mean more work and demand for such services.“In the discussions that we were having with customers, and what I’m hearing from investors . . . back east, they are very optimistic that these projects are now going to go forward, and I haven’t heard that in two decades,” Mullen said in an interview Tuesday.“It sounds like there’s a plan. That doesn’t mean it’s happening in the next day, but it’s the most optimistic I’ve been in quite a while. But the proof is in the pudding.”Chris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist.FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the closed doors of the oilpatch, with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning. Sign up now. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.