July 31 (Reuters) - TransCanada Corp, the Canadian company behind the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, remains committed to the C$8 billion ($6.2 billion) project, the company's head said on Friday, even as hopes fade for an approval by the Obama administration.

"We remain 100 percent committed to the project," Chief Executive Russ Girling said of the cross-border pipeline on a conference call.

Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was not hopeful that the United States would approve the northern leg of project, which has been in limbo awaiting a Presidential permit for six years.

(Reporting by Julie Gordon)