Nov 6 (Reuters) - Canada's TC Energy ( TRP ) missed

estimates for third-quarter profit on Thursday, hurt by weakness

in the pipeline operator's U.S. operations and in its power and

energy solutions business.

AI-driven power demand, industrial applications and LNG

exports are driving up natural gas consumption, yet price

pressures and competition from coal remain ongoing market

challenges.

U.S. natural gas futures fell over 4% sequentially,

extending a decline that began in the second quarter after

snapping four consecutive quarters of gains.

The drop in prices weighed on TC Energy's ( TRP ) transport volumes.

Net income from the company's U.S. natural gas pipelines,

its largest segment, fell to C$801 million ($571.16 million) in

the third quarter, from C$1.3 billion a year ago.

Adjusted core profit in the power and energy solutions

business was C$266 million in the quarter, down 18.4% from a

year ago.

However, its Canadian natural gas pipelines saw adjusted

core earnings rise to C$913 million in the quarter ended

September 30, from C$845 million a year ago.

The company operates a 58,100 mile-long network of

pipelines, supplying more than 30% of the clean-burning natural

gas consumed daily across North America.

The company expects adjusted core profit for 2026 to be

in the range of $11.6 billion to $11.8 billion, nearly 6% to 8%

growth year-over-year.

It also anticipates 2028 core profit to be in the range

of $12.6 billion to 13.1 billion, representing a 5% to 7%

annual growth rate between 2025 and 2028.

On an adjusted basis, the Calgary-based company earned 77

Canadian cents per share for the three months, compared with

analysts' average expectation of 80 Canadian cents, according to

data compiled by LSEG.

($1 = 1.4024 Canadian dollars)