The heaviest piece of equipment ever to travel Alberta roads is currently making its way from a fabrication yard in Edmonton to the site of a new petrochemical facility in Fort Saskatchewan.
The vessel weighs over 800 tonnes and is 97 meters long when laid on its side, approximately the length of a CFL football field.
It’s a propylene-propane splitter, a key piece of Inter Pipeline’s Heartland Petrochemical Complex, which is currently under construction.
The splitter was fabricated by Dacro Industries over the last year. It will help the $3.5-billion facility produce a high value recyclable plastic known as polypropylene from Alberta propane.
Transportation of the vessel began on Jan. 6 at 9 p.m. It is expected to reach the site at noon on Jan. 9.
The Alberta government issued a travellers’ advisory on Friday, as the load will be moving below the speed limit and may pull over periodically.
“A bit of a delay on roads around [Edmonton] —- with a huge boost to Alberta's economy,” energy minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd tweeted on Monday.
The Heartland Petrochemical Complex is Canada’s first of its kind, and has up to $200 million in royalty credits committed from the Government of Alberta..
Construction completion is scheduled for late 2021.
Here are some photos and a video showing the fabrication and transportation of the splitter, as well as construction underway at the site, courtesy of Inter Pipeline.
