(Bloomberg) -- TC Energy Corp. raised the price tag of the Coastal GasLink pipeline by 70% after Covid-19-related delays and protests slowed construction on the link to a new liquefied natural gas facility on Canada’s west coast. 

The pipeline is now expected to cost C$11.2 billion ($8.7 billion), Calgary-based TC Energy said in a statement Thursday. The company, which owns 35% of Coastal GasLink, will make a C$1.9 billion equity contribution to the project. 

The new cost estimate is part of a revised agreement with LNG Canada, a consortium of energy producers led by Shell Plc that’s building the LNG facility at Kitimat, British Columbia. The 670-kilometer (416-mile) pipeline is 70% complete, the company said.

“We continue to believe the project remains economically viable and subject to a final investment decision, we anticipate a potential second phase of Coastal GasLink could enhance TC Energy’s project returns,” the company said. 

TC Energy had been in dispute with LNG Canada over the rising costs of Coastal Gaslink, threatening last year to suspend some construction activities as the two sides quarreled over the costs and schedule for completion. The project has faced numerous protests by indigenous-led groups, who have occupied construction sites along the route, causing delays. 

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In February, workers on the pipeline were assaulted by a group of individuals, some armed with axes, who attacked security guards and smashing vehicle windows, according to police. 

Coastal GasLink isn’t the only large-scale Canadian pipeline to face escalating costs. Earlier this year, the cost of a project to expand the government-owned Trans Mountain oil pipeline running from Alberta to B.C. ballooned 70% to C$21.4 billion, again partly due to construction delays. The project will end up becoming a “net loss” for taxpayers, the country’s budget watchdog recently warned. 

TC Energy fell 2% to C$69.31 as of 10:30 a.m. in Toronto. 

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