Enbridge to Expand Athabasca Pipeline Capacity
CALGARY, ALBERTA, Sep 02, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Enbridge Inc. (ENB 51.28, +0.10, +0.20%) announced today that it will undertake an expansion of its Athabasca Pipeline to accommodate recent shipping commitments by the Christina Lake oil sands project operated by Cenovus. The estimated cost of the project is approximately $185 million. The Athabasca Pipeline transports crude oil from various oil sands projects to the mainline hub at Hardisty, Alberta. Following this expansion, which is expected to be in service in the third quarter of 2013, the capacity of the Athabasca Pipeline will be 430,000 bpd, depending on crude slate.
"We are pleased with this further expansion of our oil sands regional infrastructure to meet the needs of the Christina Lake project. Our strong existing asset base will continue to provide us with attractive investment opportunities to support growth from existing oil sands customers, as well as new projects as they develop," said Stephen J. Wuori, Executive Vice-President, Liquids Pipelines, Enbridge Inc. "The Athabasca Pipeline can be expanded to as much as 570,000 bpd. Depending on the needs of other shippers we may revise the scope of this expansion upward prior to regulatory filing. Such additional capacity would be available in the third quarter of 2014."
Since mid-2009, Enbridge has announced approximately $1.8 billion in commercially secured projects to expand and extend its Regional Oil Sands System.
"All of these projects fit well with Enbridge's investment profile and further strengthen our capacity within the region, enhancing our strategic advantage," said Mr. Wuori.
Enbridge's Regional Oil Sands System At-a-Glance:
Enbridge is the leading pipeline operator in the Fort McMurray to Edmonton/Hardisty corridor and well positioned to tie-in new oil sand developments to mainline pipelines and increase capacity for current customers. Enbridge's Regional Oil Sands Infrastructure includes the Athabasca and Waupisoo pipeline systems, connecting six producing oil sands projects. A map is available at www.enbridge.com
Athabasca Pipeline:
- 540-kilometre (335-mile) pipeline in operation since March 1999
- Annual capacity of up to 570,000 barrels per day of crude oil (depending
on crude viscosity) from the Athabasca and Cold Lake regions of Alberta,
south to Hardisty, Alberta
Waupisoo Pipeline:
- 380-kilometre (mile) pipeline system in operation since June 2008
- Annual capacity of up to 600,000 bpd of crude oil (depending on crude
viscosity) from Enbridge's Cheecham Terminal to Edmonton
Tankage:
- Largest operator of contract storage facilities at the Hardisty hub with
the 3.1 million barrel Hardisty Caverns storage facility, plus the 7.5
million barrel Hardisty Contract Terminal surface storage facility
- More than 4.4 million barrels of operational storage associated with the
Waupisoo and Athabasca pipelines and laterals
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