CALGARY – TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP) says it expects to begin shipping oil on the southern leg of its Keystone XL pipeline on Jan. 22.
The pipeline company gave its customers the news late Monday.
TransCanada began filling the US$2.3-billion Oklahoma-to-Texas line just over a week ago.
In the coming weeks, some three million barrels of crude are expected to make their way to Houston-area refineries.
TransCanada is still awaiting approval from the Obama administration to construct the US$5.4-billion northern portion of Keystone XL more than five years after it applied for a permit.
The company was able to move ahead with the Gulf Coast portion first because it doesn’t cross the Canada-U.S. border.