NOVA Corporation was a Canadian energy company based in Calgary. Originally known as the Alberta Gas Trunk Line Company Ltd., it was established in 1954 to build, own and operate Alberta’s natural gas gathering and transmission facilities. In 1998, NOVA merged with TransCanada (now TC Energy), creating the fourth largest gas pipeline company in North America.
In the early 1970s, the Alberta Gas Trunk Line Company broadened its base from gas transmission. It eventually added resource development, petrochemicals and manufacturing to its activities. It was renamed NOVA Corporation in 1980. The Alberta gas transmission system became one of the largest and most technically advanced in the world. For a time, NOVA was also the largest manufacturer and marketer of polyethylene products in Canada.
The group of companies that operated under the NOVA banner in Canada included Foothills Pipe Lines (Yukon) Ltd. and Novacor Chemicals Ltd. NOVA also owned a significant interest in Methanex Corporation, the world’s largest producer of methanol. NOVA had energy-related enterprises in the United States, Italy and elsewhere.
When NOVA merged with TransCanada (now TC Energy) in 1998, the combined assets of the two companies were worth $14 billion. The NOVA gas transmission system continues to operate under TC Energy.