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TransCanada Corp. ruled out building an oil port along the St. Lawrence River at Cacouna, the home of a critical beluga habitat, but said it is considering other locations for a marine and tank terminal in Quebec.

The Calgary-based company says it changed its plans in part because of a concern for beluga whales near the site.

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“We have listened and our decision reflects that,” TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said in a press release on Thursday.

Before it can authorize the project, Quebec said TransCanada would have to prove the pipeline will have economic benefits for the province.

Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel said it is too soon to tell if TransCanada can still meet this condition even if it doesn’t build a port in Quebec.

“It’s a hypothetical question,” he told reporters on Thursday. “Let’s wait until we see the whole Quebec project before we see if it will have (positive) economic spinoffs.”