Kinder Morgan (KMI) Trans Mountain Gets Recommendation

Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE:KMI) announced that Canada's National Energy Board recommended that the Federal Governor in Council approve the proposed expansion of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. The expansion project is expected to be in service in Dec 2019. The recommendation will allow the project to proceed with 157 conditions provided the Governor in Council approves of it. The Federal Government will take the final decision on the Project in Dec 2016.

The $5.4-billion expansion project was originally filed with the National Energy Board on Dec 16, 2013. Post filing of the application, a regulatory review of the proposed expansion facilities was initiated. Construction of the Trans Mountain expansion project was expected to start in 2016, subject to the success of the regulatory application process.

The Trans Mountain pipeline system is the only one providing the West Coast pipeline access to Canadian oil products over the last 60 years. It has been continuously upgraded and adapted to meet the growing needs of customers.

The Trans Mountain was last expanded in 2008 as part of the Anchor Loop Project. About 158 kilometer of pipeline was joined between Hinton, Alberta and Hargreaves, British Columbia. The open season for the pipeline – from fall 2011 to fall 2012 – received strong binding support from commercial customers.

Consequently, the proposal for further expansion of the pipeline was made. In Jan 2013, 13 committed customers inked new long-term contracts to facilitate the update and increase of the scope of the proposed project.

Kinder Morgan is the largest energy infrastructure company in North America. It owns an interest in or operates approximately 84,000 miles of pipelines and approximately 165 terminals. The company’s pipelines transport natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, CO2 and other products, and its terminals store petroleum products and chemicals, and handle bulk materials like coal and petroleum coke. Kinder Morgan is the largest midstream and third largest energy company in North America.

But like all other oil and gas majors, Kinder Morgan remains vulnerable to volatile crude oil and natural gas prices, an imbalance between supply and demand for its products, and rising interest rates. Such factors can hurt the company’s volumes and margins.

Currently, Kinder Morgan carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some better-ranked players from the same space are CVR Refining, LP (NYSE:CVRR) , PetroChina Co. Ltd. (NYSE:PTR) and Braskem S.A. (NYSE:BAK) . Each of these stocks sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

PETROCHINA ADR (PTR): Free Stock Analysis Report

BRASKEM SA (BAK): Free Stock Analysis Report

KINDER MORGAN (KMI): Free Stock Analysis Report

CVR REFINING LP (CVRR): Free Stock Analysis Report

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