Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says it’s unlikely her government will launch a new Crown corporation to build out natural gas pipelines in the province.
This follows a leaked report to Smith’s cabinet recommending the province move forward with legislation and create Crown corporations to spur new natural gas transmission lines to meet demand from oil production and artificial intelligence data centres.
Smith told her provincewide radio call-in program on Saturday that the government has heard from dozens of companies that fear they might not have access to enough natural gas.
She says the issue right now is that TC Energy has a “monopoly” in Alberta’s natural gas market, and her government wants more competition.
The premier says the government is looking at ways to get shovels in the ground on new infrastructure, but she thinks enough private-sector interest makes public-sector intervention unnecessary.
Smith is also brushing off concerns that government intervention could push up energy prices, saying limited natural gas supply will drive up Albertans’ bills.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2026.