Enbridge will be shipping on Line 3 by end of 2019
August 31, 2019, 11:07 am
Enbridge has announced it has reached an agreement with shippers to place the Canadian portion of the Line 3 replacement pipeline into service by the end of 2019.
Enbridge will be filing a tariff with the Canadian energy regulator for a temporary surcharge with a proposed effective date of Dec. 1, 2019, Enbridge said in a statement.
The Line 3 replacement line is on schedule for the Canadian portion and once complete, the line will carry 760,000 barrels per day of western Canadian crude to U.S. markets.
Earlier this year, in March, the company said the in-service date would be delayed by almost a year until the second half of 2020 because of slower-than-expected permitting in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
There was extensive work across southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba in 2018 as the pipeline was built, and crews are in the area now doing surface remediation work.
"Construction of the new Line 3 Replacement pipeline and associated facilities was completed on
schedule in Canada and we are excited to inform you that we are now ready to start operating the
pipeline, said Enbridge Vice-President Dave Lawson.
"We plan to bring the Canadian portion into service at the beginning of December 2019."
Right-of-Way Restoration
Enbridge is now in the clean-up phase of the project and expect to have the right of way restored later this year. More information on these activities can be found at www.enbridge.com/Projects-and-
Infrastructure/Land-restoration-post-construction.aspx.
Line 3 Canada Decommissioning
Once the replacement line comes into service, Enbridge has three years to take the existing Line 3 in Canada out of service safely and permanently – this process is known as decommissioning. Enbridge is taking a phased approached to decommissioning and is now developing a draft Decommissioning Plan.
Line 3 Replacement in the United States
In the U.S., the Wisconsin segment of the project was completed in December 2017 and came into
service in May 2018. Enbridge continues to work toward final permitting approvals in Minnesota.
Timeline
November 29, 2016, the Government of Canada approved the Line 3 Replacement Program
under Order in Council.
December 1, 2016, the National Energy Board issued the Certificate and Orders authorizing
Enbridge to construct and operate the new pipeline and decommission the existing pipeline
subject to a number of conditions.
As of August 16, 2019, all regulatory conditions have been approved, which allows Enbridge to
begin operating the new pipeline in Canada.
"We have come a long way since we first proposed replacing 1,070 kilometres of Line 3 in 2014," said Lawson. "The Line 3 Replacement Program is the largest capital project in Enbridge’s history.
We are excited to be bringing this much-needed pipeline into service."
