Who is building the Keystone XL pipeline?

Who’s Behind the Keystone XL Pipeline?

For over a decade, the Keystone XL pipeline has been a flashpoint in debates over energy policy, climate change, and Indigenous rights. But behind the headlines, the driving force has always been one company: TC Energy. Originally known as TransCanada, the Calgary-based energy giant is the sole developer and proponent of the project.

The KXL Project was designed as an expansion of the existing Keystone pipeline system, intended to carry hundreds of thousands of barrels per day of crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Stretching from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska, the proposed route sparked fierce opposition from environmental groups, landowners, and Indigenous communities concerned about water contamination, carbon emissions, and treaty rights.

Though construction began in parts of the U.S. in 2020, the project faced repeated legal, political, and financial hurdles. In 2021, the Biden administration revoked a key cross-border permit, dealing a critical blow. Later that year, TC Energy officially abandoned the project, citing delays and mounting costs. The company faced billions in shareholder losses and a string of lawsuits following the cancellation.

Despite its end, the Keystone XL saga remains a symbol of the broader struggle between fossil fuel infrastructure and climate accountability. For TC Energy, the project marked both an ambitious engineering effort and a costly miscalculation in an era of shifting energy priorities.