Pembina Right-of-Way Herbicide Program

Since 2019, ATCO has provided pipeline right-of-way (ROW) vegetation management services and executed long-term maintenance plans for Pembina Pipelines. 

ATCO, driven by a holistic vegetation management approach, has developed and executed long-term maintenance plans focused on value in two strategic areas: 

• Inventory collection: Vegetation ground inventory on Pembina's ROWs ensures activities are focused only where required. This also helps inform budgeting and forecasting of ongoing maintenance. 
• Transition from mechanical to herbicide vegetation control: ATCO has advised on how to safely and effectively convert operations from mechanical to herbicide application in order to control ROW vegetation.

ATCO?s vegetation management strategies helped Pembina achieve ~80% savings compared to previous vegetation maintenance approaches. Significant savings were achieved over the long term through reduced asset maintenance costs by leveraging ATCO's vegetation inventory methods and contractors. 

This project is an example of how we can demonstrate to customers the environmental integrity of well-established herbicide application practices and increase the adoption of best practices across Alberta. It also ensures the continued social licence for chemical/herbicide vegetation management practices into the future.