TC Energy approves US$1.8 billion Crossroads expansion

By James Calloway

TC Energy approved a US$1.8 billion expansion of its Crossroads pipeline in third-quarter 2026 results, adding westbound capacity intended in part to carry Marcellus and Utica gas to the Midwest. The Canadian pipeline company released the results last Thursday.

What did TC Energy approve?

TC Energy owns Columbia Gas Transmission, which the company calls the No. 1 pipeline operator in Appalachia “by its own count.” The Crossroads expansion is the new project in the announcement, while the Appalachia Supply Project was already approved in April. Both sit within the company’s stated Appalachian egress strategy.

CEO François Poirier said Crossroads and the April-approved Appalachia Supply Project amount to “two major arteries of egress out of the Appalachian Basin.”

The disclosed US$1.8 billion figure applies to the Crossroads expansion; the excerpt gives no cost for the Appalachia Supply Project. The source says Crossroads is designed “in part” to move Marcellus and Utica gas west to the Midwest. It does not describe the line as dedicated to either formation or quantify the share of gas assigned to each.

In plain terms, TC has approved two named egress projects, with the newly disclosed investment focused on Crossroads.

What does the production forecast change?

TC also told analysts that it expects Appalachian gas production to grow by another 10 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by 2035. The figure belongs in a separate category from the approved investments: it is a basin-wide production outlook, not a stated capacity number for Crossroads or the Appalachia Supply Project.

For upstream operators, the forecast points to a larger volume of gas that will need routes out of Appalachia. For pipeline and midstream planners, the approved westbound Crossroads expansion establishes a company-sanctioned outlet toward the Midwest. The excerpt does not quantify how much of the forecast production Crossroads will carry, identify the producers or reserves behind it, or provide a current production baseline.

The forecast should not be read as a guarantee that 10 Bcf/d of new supply will appear. It is TC Energy’s expectation presented to analysts, not a firm drilling schedule, booked transportation commitment or commissioned pipeline capacity. No gas-price forecast accompanies the production figure in the source, so any claim that the expansion will raise or depress prices would go beyond the disclosed results.

The practical signal is more potential Appalachian supply seeking Midwest egress, while the project’s usable room remains unspecified.

Which projects are sanctioned?

The announcement separates into three distinct items:

• Crossroads expansion: Approved by TC Energy at US$1.8 billion and designed in part to carry Marcellus and Utica gas west toward the Midwest.
• Appalachia Supply Project: Approved in April and grouped by the CEO with Crossroads as a major route for gas leaving the basin; the excerpt gives no capital cost.
• Appalachian production outlook: An additional 10 Bcf/d expected by 2035, according to TC Energy’s presentation to analysts.

No appraisal-stage project appears in the source. The distinction matters because an approved investment has a different standing from a resource prospect or pipeline proposal that has not received company backing. The source does not provide construction status for either approved project, however, so approval should not be presented as proof that pipe is already being built.

Crossroads and the Appalachia Supply Project are sanctioned; the 10 Bcf/d figure remains an outlook rather than project capacity.

What operating details remain open?

The third-quarter results excerpt leaves several questions that contractors, shippers and producers would need answered before they can model the projects:

• The incremental Crossroads capacity in Bcf/d or other units.
• The detailed route, line length, diameter, compressor requirements and connection points.
• The permit and filing status, including which approvals, if any, remain outstanding.
• The construction schedule, commissioning sequence and in-service date.
• Commercial terms, including transportation commitments and tariffs.
• The split of gas associated with the Marcellus and Utica plays and the role, if any, for other Appalachian supply.

Those omissions limit what the announcement supports. TC’s wording establishes a US$1.8 billion Crossroads expansion and two major egress corridors. It does not establish when either corridor will operate or how much incremental gas each can handle.

The capital decision is concrete, while usable capacity and operating timing remain open.

What should operators watch?

The next watch items are the permit status and project-definition details: route, capacity, schedule and regulatory milestones. The startup date will matter for commercial planning because it sets the point at which the expanded outlet can carry gas. Until TC Energy publishes those operating details, the defensible conclusion is narrow: the company has backed two Appalachian egress projects, with the disclosed US$1.8 billion applying to Crossroads, and expects basin production to grow by 10 Bcf/d by 2035.

Watch for permits and an in-service date; without both, the project’s commercial value cannot yet be sized.