Enbridge pushes pipeline project
3 July 2009
Enbridge's oil infrastructure projects are picking up pace
The need to add capacity to North America’s oil infrastructure will be resolved with the construction of a 1,000-mile long Canada to US oil pipeline set to begin in August.
Houston-headquartered Enbridge Energy’s pipeline is part of a construction project, Alberta Clipper and Southern Lights, on two pipelines designed to match demand for greater energy security.
The 1,000-mile 36-inch diameter pipeline will reach from Alberta, Canada, to Superior in Wisconsin, US. The line includes 326 miles to be constructed in the US, able to carry 450,000 barrels per day from the oil sands in Canada to its terminal in Superior.
The second pipeline consists of 188 miles of 20-inch pipeline adjacent to the first with a capacity of 180,000 barrels a day of light hydrocarbons needed to thin the heavy crude coming from Canada. The line would run between Clearbrook, Minnesota, and Superior.
The project comes soon after 2007’s added capacity to Enbridge’s pipeline running south of Superior to Delavan, Illinois.
Plans include construction of five new tanks at the Enbridge Terminal in Superior. Each would have a capacity of storing 250,000 barrels of crude.
The two-pipeline project is picking up pace. ‘We’re gearing up because the final permits are starting to roll in,’ Lorraine Grymala, community relations manager for Enbridge in Superior, comments. ‘Most of the permits should be coming in by the end of July, which would mean we would start construction in August.’
Approximately 12% of the US’ oil comes through Superior. The project is expected to increase Enbridge’s capacity by about 20% when it reaches peak flow. Currently, about 1.6 million barrels a day flow through the US portion of Enbridge’s pipeline.
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