Canadian midstream company Enbridge's 760,000 b/d Line 3 crude pipeline replacement is set to start service on 1 October, adding significant export capacity out of western Canada.
Enbridge has long been planning for a start-up of the full Line 3 replacement in the fourth quarter once it finished the last segment in Minnesota. The company previously told the Canadian Energy Regulator that the Line 3 replacement would be finished by 15 October.
The Line 3 project replaced and expanded pipeline capacity from Alberta, Canada, to Wisconsin. Line 3 had been running at 390,000 b/d in recent years. The expanded replacement allows an additional 370,000 b/d on the line for a total capacity of 760,000 b/d.
Enbridge said the "substantial completion" of Line 3 is a major milestone after "more than eight years of many people working together, extensive community engagement, and thorough environmental, regulatory and legal review."
Enbridge re-started construction on five sections of Line 3 in Minnesota in June after a planned pause because of seasonal restrictions. The project has gained national attention in recent months amid protests at various construction sites.
Environmental groups and Native American tribes have long opposed Line 3 as the route crosses an area that local tribes value for wild rice, hunting and fishing.
It also faced years of regulatory delays in Minnesota. State regulators there in February approved a revised environmental review for the Line 3 project following a ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals in June 2019 that the original environmental review was inadequate because it did not address the potential ramifications of an oil spill into the Lake Superior watershed.
Enbridge said today that the Line 3 replacement was the most studied pipeline project in Minnesota history, with input gathered at 71 public comment meetings and more than 3,500 community engagement meetings.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals last month upheld a key water permit for Line 3, the latest in a string of legal victories for the project as it neared completion.
Minnesota regulators earlier this month ordered Enbridge to pay $3.32mn in mitigation fees and penalties for breaching an aquifer during Line 3 construction. Enbridge said it is working closely with the state to resolve the matter.
