Ontario Welcomes $358 Million Natural Gas Investment in Southwest Region

Pipeline expansion project expected to create 7,000 good-paying jobs, encourage economic development and support province’s leading greenhouse industry

The Ontario government is welcoming the start of construction by Enbridge Gas on its $358 million Panhandle Regional Expansion Project. The project is expected to secure approximately 7,000 jobs, enable $4.5 billion of investment opportunities in the province and support Ontario’s expansion of reliable, affordable and cleaner energy to power its growing economy.

This project will lead to the construction of approximately 19 kilometers of new pipeline that will parallel the existing pipeline and increase the capacity of Enbridge’s Panhandle Transmission System. The pipeline expansion is a vital investment in energy infrastructure that will encourage economic development in Southwestern Ontario and support the growth of the region’s vibrant world-leading greenhouse industry.

The new pipeline will also help supply the electricity generation needed to meet the province’s growing energy demands, due to increasing electrification, strong population and economic growth. Access to a reliable and affordable electricity supply is increasingly a key priority for companies, particularly those investing in large-scale manufacturing projects.

The Panhandle Regional Expansion Project is part of Ontario’s efforts to meet the province’s growing energy demands. As outlined in Powering Ontario’s Growth, Ontario has also secured Canada’s largest clean energy storage procurement, invested more than $1 billion in energy efficiency programs, is supporting the continued safe operation of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station and is building Canada’s first grid-scale Small Modular Reactor.