Enbridge Inc. is boosting investment in new pipeline infrastructure as the need to move natural gas reaches all-time highs across North America, even as geopolitical uncertainty continues to roil the energy sector.
There is strong customer interest in additional gas transmission capacity on our system, particularly in the U. S. Northeast, Midwest and Southeast,” said Enbridge President and CEO Greg Ebel following the company’s release of its second quarter financial results.
The higher demand for electricity, the higher exports of liquefied natural gas and the higher demand from data centers are all putting more pressure on existing natural gas infrastructure, Ebel said.
Enbridge’s planned Project Beacon, an expansion of the Algonquin Gas Transmission system in the northeastern U.S., is one of the most visible examples. The company recently held an open season to test customer interest and said commercial interest was much higher than initially expected.
“Enbridge is seeing this trend across the whole network,” said Matthew Akman, who leads the company’s gas transmission business.
The new demand is coming from areas like power generation and data centers, but many regions are also playing catch-up after years of underinvestment in pipeline infrastructure, he said. “We’ve known for years that New England needs more natural gas capacity,” he said.
Akman said Project Beacon is a promising investment that could save utility customers in New England more than $1 billion a year by improving affordability, strengthening energy reliability and helping to reduce emissions from oil-fired electricity generation.
Enbridge is also growing its infrastructure portfolio with several other strategic projects. The company recently exercised an exclusive option to acquire the TTC Connector Pipeline that will connect the Tres Palacios Gas Storage facility to Freeport LNG and is expected to be in-service prior to year-end.
The Blackcomb pipeline is now being commissioned and Enbridge has approved construction of the Bay Runner Twin pipeline to move natural gas from the Permian Basin to the Rio Grande LNG export facility.
The company also began construction earlier this month on its $4 billion Sunrise Expansion Program in British Columbia, after receiving federal approval in April. The project is expected to provide 300 million cubic feet a day of natural gas transportation capacity to the province to support increasing domestic and export markets.
Akman said Enbridge expects a strong performance from its gas transmission business in the coming year as negotiations with customers continue to produce new project opportunities.
Enbridge said an operational update showed second-quarter net earnings attributable to common shareholders of $1.4 billion, down from $2.18 billion in the same period in 2019. Earnings were 64 cents per share, down from $1.00 per share a year ago. The company’s adjusted earnings came in at 63 cents a share, compared with 65 cents a share in the second quarter of 2025.
Quarterly profit is down, but Enbridge is still building its long-term investment portfolio. The company said it has a backlog of secured capital of $41 billion and has approved $9 billion of new projects so far this year. “It’s still on track to come out with $10 billion to $20 billion more projects in the 2026-2027 timeframe.
Ebel said energy firms continue to operate in a tough environment of volatile markets, supply chain disruptions and geopolitical uncertainty. However, he said the underlying demand fundamentals are sound for the long term and big infrastructure investments will proceed as customers seek reliable and flexible energy transportation solutions.
“While many of our clients today are looking at tailored, phased developments rather than large-scale commitments, we see the need for expanded natural gas infrastructure across North America continuing to grow in the years ahead,” said Enbridge’s Chief Development Officer Bill Yardley.
