TC Energy Corporation TRP has reaffirmed its commitment to the Canadian Mainline, one of its most critical infrastructure assets, amid rising geopolitical risks and a renewed focus on energy security. It will neither sell nor convert the natural gas pipeline, citing its crucial role in the company’s portfolio and its fully contracted status.
TC Energy anticipates that natural gas and electricity demand is expected to grow by 75% by 2035, fueled by expanding LNG exports and rising electricity needs from AI and data centers. It is uniquely positioned with infrastructure across Canada, the United States and Mexico and seeks to capitalize on this trend to attain energy independence in the future. Therefore, the company’s decision to retain the Canadian Mainline is of utmost importance.
An Insight Into the Canadian Mainline
The Canadian Mainline is a 14,082-kilometer natural gas pipeline system that transports natural gas from the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin to key markets across the Prairies, Eastern Canada (including Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada), as well as the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. It operates through a suite of reliable service offerings, including Firm Transportation, Long-Term Fixed Price and other tailored solutions to meet diverse customer requirements. Over its long history, the Mainline has been instrumental in supporting economic development, creating employment and fueling industrial growth in communities across the country.
With political rhetoric around U.S.-Canada trade intensifying, the asset has gained new relevance in both national policy discourse and long-term energy planning.
TRP’s Commitment to Contractual Obligation
The company’s decision aligns with its evolving strategy of energy security. After spinning off its oil pipeline division last year, TC Energy has sharpened its focus on natural gas and power generation. The spin-off makes the Canadian Mainline one of the critical assets in the company’s energy infrastructure and also a centerpiece of its long-term business plan.
Poirier, TRP’s CEO, stated that nearly all of the pipeline’s capacity is under long-term contracts with natural gas shippers and some of these contracts extend for decades into the future. This legal obligation renders any previously proposed conversion unviable.
Strategic Stability in a Volatile Era
TC Energy’s decision highlights its commitment to regulated, stable revenue-generating assets amid a volatile macro environment. The retention of the Canadian Mainline mitigates exposure to regulatory and political risks associated with cross-border infrastructure while supporting Canada’s broader push for domestic energy resilience.
TRP’s Zacks Rank and Key Picks
Calgary, Alberta-based TC Energy is a premier energy infrastructure provider in North America. Currently, TRP has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Investors interested in the energy sector might look at some top-ranked stocks like Archrock, Inc. AROC, Delek Logistics Partners, LP DKL and Ecopetrol S.A. EC.While Archrock and Delek Logistics currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each, Ecopetrol carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Houston-based Archrock is a provider of natural gas contract compression services as well as a supplier of aftermarket services for compression equipment. AROC operates in the oil and gas-producing regions primarily in the United States. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AROC’s 2025 earnings indicates 56.19% year-over-year growth.
Delek Logistics Partners owns, operates, acquires and constructs crude oil and refined products logistics and marketing assets. DKL operates crude oil transportation pipelines, refined product pipelines, crude oil gathering systems and associated crude oil storage tanks. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DKL’s 2025 earnings indicates 34.45% year-over-year growth.
Enterprise Products Partners operates a comprehensive midstream energy network that spans natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, petrochemicals and refined products. EC’s expected growth rate for earnings per share for the next quarter is 28.57%, which aligns favorably with the industry growth rate of -8.40%.
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Ecopetrol S.A. (EC): Free Stock Analysis Report TC Energy Corporation (TRP): Free Stock Analysis Report Delek Logistics Partners, L.P. (DKL): Free Stock Analysis Report Archrock, Inc. (AROC): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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