Enbridge Pipeline System#Mainline system
{{Short description|Canada–US oil pipeline}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2010}}
{{Infobox pipeline
| name = Enbridge System
Canadian Mainline
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| map_caption = Location of Enbridge System
Canadian Mainline
| country = Canada
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| direction = north–south–east
| start = Edmonton, Alberta
| through = Gretna, Manitoba
Sarnia, Ontario
| finish = Montreal, Quebec
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| owner = Enbridge Inc.
| partners =
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| length_km = 2306
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{{Infobox pipeline
| name = Lakehead System
U.S. Mainline
| type = crude oil
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| country = United States
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| direction = north–south–east
| start = Neche, North Dakota
| through =
| finish = Chicago, Illinois
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| owner = Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P.
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| length_km = 3057
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The Enbridge Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system which transports crude oil and dilbit from Canada to the United States. The system exceeds {{convert|5000|km}} in length including multiple paths. More than {{convert|3000|km}} of the system is in the United States while the rest is in Canada and serves the Athabasca oil sands production facilities. Main parts of the system are {{convert|2,306|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} Canadian Mainline{{cite web
|url=http://www.enbridgeincomefund.com/Learn-about-ENF/Our-Assets/Overview.aspx
|access-date=2018-07-07
|title=Our Assets: Overview
|author=Enbridge Income Fund
|archive-date=2018-07-08
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708082703/http://www.enbridgeincomefund.com/Learn-about-ENF/Our-Assets/Overview.aspx
|url-status=live
}} and {{convert|3,057|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} Lakehead System (U.S. Mainline).{{Cite web
|url=https://www.enbridge.com/~/media/Enb/Documents/Projects/Line%203/ProjectHandouts/ENB_SuperiorBrochure.pdf?la=en
|access-date=2018-07-07
|title=Liquids Pipelines - Superior Region
|author=Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership
|archive-date=2018-07-08
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708074558/https://www.enbridge.com/~/media/Enb/Documents/Projects/Line%203/ProjectHandouts/ENB_SuperiorBrochure.pdf?la=en
|url-status=live
}} On average, it delivers {{convert|1.4|Moilbbl/d}} of crude oil and other products to the major oil refineries in the American Midwest and the Canadian province of Ontario. The Canadian portion is owned by Enbridge, while the U.S. portion is partly owned by that company through Enbridge Energy Partners, LP, formerly known as Lakehead Pipe Line Partners and Lakehead Pipe Line Company.
Background
The first portion of the pipeline was built over the course of 150 days in 1950 by a 1,500-man labor force. It crossed approximately {{convert|1600|km}} from Redwater, Alberta, through Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, and Minnesota, to the Great Lakes seaport of Superior, Wisconsin. At the same time, four oil tankers were constructed to carry the crude from Superior to oil refineries in Sarnia, Ontario. Oil first entered the pipe on August 25, 1950, and the first tanker, Imperial Leduc, was launched on November 4. Other tankers that followed were, Imperial Redwater, Imperial Woodbend, and B.A. Peerless.Patrick Lapinski (Spring 2005). [http://www.duluthport.com/mag2005/spring2005/portpast.html The Port's Past: Not Your Classic Mix.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109143752/http://www.duluthport.com/mag2005/spring2005/portpast.html |date=2010-01-09 }} Duluth Seaway Port Authority Magazine .{{Cite web |title=Imperial Leduc - Great Lakes Vessel HistoryGreat Lakes Vessel History |url=https://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/i/imperial-leduc |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com}}
Because the lakes froze in the winter, preventing tanker traffic, the decision was soon made to expand the pipeline all the way to Sarnia. In May 1953, contracts were awarded and construction began. At {{convert|2840|km}}, it became the world's longest pipeline. A major upgrade was undertaken in the 1990s to replace old pipe and expand the system.
Mainline system
Today, there are two routes that oil can take between Superior and Sarnia. A northern route passes through the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan before crossing into Ontario, while the southern route circles south of Lake Michigan through Illinois and Indiana before reaching Michigan. There are 59 pumping stations in the pipeline system, and the actual pipes range in diameter from {{convert|12|to|48|in|mm}}.
One major junction point is in Clearbrook, Minnesota where the pipeline connects to the Minnesota Pipeline, which carries crude to the Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota. The North Dakota Pipeline Company system of pipeline also has a connection in Clearbrook, linking the Mandan Refinery in Mandan, North Dakota. The Murphy Oil refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, is directly linked to the pipeline.
Another point in Lockport, Illinois connects two pipelines to Patoka, Illinois, plus a longer link to Cushing, Oklahoma. A relatively short {{convert|56|km|adj=on}} link from Stockbridge, Michigan connects to two refineries in the Toledo, Ohio area.
The Mainline system, conventionally divided into the US and Canadian mainlines, consists of 1900 miles of pipeline that run from central Alberta to southern Ontario via the northern US. The system can carry up to 2.5 million barrels of oil per day. Lines 1 through 4 connect Edmonton to Superior, Wisconsin. From there, Line 5 runs through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and across the straits of Mackinac to cross back into Canada at the St. Clair River. Line 6 runs south through Wisconsin and Illinois to the terminal in Griffith, Indiana, which serves BP Whiting and other Chicago-area clients, and then continues on through northwest Indiana and southern Michigan to rejoin Line 5 at Sarnia, Ontario.
The Mainline system comprises Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 61, 62, 64, and 67. Pipelines that connect to the system, but are not part of it, include Line 9 (Montreal to Sarnia), Line 17 (Stockbridge to Toledo), and Line 55 (Flanagan to Cushing).
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan=2 | Pipeline
! Start ! End ! Length (miles) ! Capacity (m3/day) ! Size (inches) ! Materials carried ! Year created ! Remarks |
|---|
| colspan= 2 | Line 1
|1098 |37600 |Natural gas liquids, refined products, light synthetics | |
| rowspan = 2 | Line 2
|Line 2A |Edmonton |596 |70300 |24 |rowspan=2|condensate, light synthetic, sweet crude, light & high sour crude | |
| Line 2B
|Cromer |502 |70300 |24/26 | |
| colspan=2|Line 3
|light crudeoil, heavy & sour dilbit | |
| colspan=2|Line 4
|Edmonton |1098 |126500 |heavy, medium (from Clearbrook only), light sour (from Clearbrook only) | |
| colspan = 2 |Line 5
|Superior |1098 |126500 |30 |heavy, medium (from Clearbrook only), light sour crude (from Clearbrook only) |1953 |Line splits into two when passing under Straits of Mackinac. Volumes not delivered to Sarnia-area refineries are pumped into tanks for reinjection into Line 7. |
| rowspan = 2 | Line 6
|Line 6A |Superior |Griffith |467 |106000 |34 | rowspan="2" |light synthetic (to Lockport only), sweet crude (to Lockport only), light & high sour, medium, heavy | rowspan="2" |1969 | rowspan="2" |delivery points at Lockport, Mokena and Griffith; deliveries for BP Whiting are pumped into delivery tankage for subsequent transfer to Whiting |
| Line 6B
|Griffith (Chicago) |Sarnia |293 |45000 |30 |
| colspan= 2 | Line 7
|Sarnia |120 |23900 |20 |light synthetic, sweet, light & high sour, medium, heavy | |
| colspan="2" |Line 9
|Sarnia |Montreal |397 |35770 |30 |light synthetic, sweet, light & high sour, medium, heavy |Reversal (originally proposed in 2012) was completed in two stages including an expansion of capacity from 240,000 BPD to 300,000 BPD in 2015{{Cite news|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/enbridge-line-idUSL2E8IRC9N20120727|date=2012-07-27|access-date=2018-08-09|title=Enbridge bid for partial Line 9 reversal approved|author=((Reuters Staff))|archive-date=2018-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809184242/https://www.reuters.com/article/enbridge-line-idUSL2E8IRC9N20120727|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|work=Financial Post|url=https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/oil-begins-to-flow-through-line-9-today-as-enbridge-inc-hikes-dividend-releases-outlook|date=2015-12-03|access-date=2018-08-09|title=Oil begins to flow through Line 9 today as Enbridge Inc hikes dividend, releases outlook|author=National Post Wire Services|archive-date=2018-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809184005/https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/oil-begins-to-flow-through-line-9-today-as-enbridge-inc-hikes-dividend-releases-outlook|url-status=live}} |
| colspan= 2 | Line 10
|Westover |Kiantone NY (United Refining) |91 |11800 |12/20 |light synthetic, sweet, light & high sour, medium, heavy | |
| colspan= 2 | Line 11
|Westover |Nanticoke (Imperial Oil) |47 |18600 |16/20 |condensate, light synthetic, sweet, light & high sour, medium, heavy |1971 | |
| colspan="2" |Line 13 (Southern Lights pipeline)
|Manhattan (Illinois) |Edmonton |1588 |18618
|