Enbridge Wins Trump's Backing to Maintain U.S.-Canada Pipelines

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Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

The U.S. government gave Enbridge and its subsidiaries the greenlight to maintain its pipeline facilities along the U.S.-Canadian border in North Dakota and Michigan, with the potential to add capacity across the border. Industrial Info Resources is tracking progress at more than 40 pipeline-related facilities owned by Enbridge in Michigan and North Dakota.

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Keeping Up the Supply

The Trump administration granted a series of presidential permits Wednesday to Enbridge Energy and its subsidiary Bakken Pipeline Company to continue operating pipeline facilities along the U.S.-Canadian border in North Dakota and Michigan. The White House also permitted Bakken Pipeline to perform any needed construction--including new pipelines--at its facilities in Burke County, North Dakota, which sits on the border. According to Industrial Info Resources data, Enbridge and its subsidiary are proposing more than $620 million worth of projects in Michigan and North Dakota.

The permits allow Canadian-based Enbridge to maintain its cross-border energy supply chain between the U.S. and Canada. Industrial Info Resources is tracking progress at more than 40 pipeline-related facilities owned by Enbridge in Michigan and North Dakota; subscribers to the Industrial Info Resources Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Oil & Gas Pipeline Plant Database can learn more from a detailed list of plant profiles.

"This important action enables Enbridge's existing cross-border pipeline network, moving more than 3 million barrels a day, to continue safely and reliably delivering the energy that is foundational to both U.S. and Canadian economic competitiveness and security," Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy told Michigan Advance.

Bakken Pipeline's existing assets in Burke County include its crude oil pump station near Lignite, North Dakota, which is the origination point for a pipeline that runs to Steelman, Saskatchewan. The construction permits allows the subsidiary "to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline Border facilities ... for the transport between the United States and Canada of crude oil and petroleum products of every description, refined or unrefined."

According to Industrial Info Resources data, the existing line can carry up to 145,000 barrels per day (bpd) of light crude oil; subscribers can learn more about the existing facilities from a detailed plant profile and pipeline profile.

By the Numbers

• More than $620 million: Total value of Enbridge projects currently proposed for Michigan and North Dakota
• 145,000 bpd: Capacity of Enbridge's existing pipeline from Burke County, North Dakota, into Saskatchewan
• 540,000 bpd: Capacity of pipeline Enbridge is proposing to expand at the Straits of Mackinac

More Capacity Proposed for Michigan

Enbridge's proposed projects in the area include one that is not affected by Wednesday's presidential permits: pipeline replacements and a new water body-crossing tunnel in Mackinaw City, Michigan, which sits at the meeting point between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The company aims to replace four miles of aging pipeline to carry 540,000 bpd of light crude oil, light synthetic crude oil, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) across the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas.

Light crude transported on the line is delivered to refineries in the Detroit and Toledo areas, according to Enbridge, while the NGLs supply 55% of Michigan's demand for propane. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.

Enbridge also is proposing an expansion of its NEXUS Gas Transmission Pipeline from Highland to Ypsilanti, Michigan, covering about 44 miles. The expansion would connect the existing, 256-mile NEXUS line to the existing Vector Pipeline System near the Michigan-Ontario border.

NEXUS is a 50:50 joint venture between Enbridge and DT Midstream, while the Vector system is a 60:40 joint venture between Enbridge and DT, respectively. Subscribers can learn more about the proposed expansion from a detailed project report.

In a recent earnings-related conference call, Greg Ebel, the chief executive officer of Enbridge, said his company was planning C$35 billion (US$24.9 billion) of sanctioned growth capital for projects currently set to enter service through 2030. He said a "significant portion" of the C$35 billion in capital is set to begin service in 2027.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for active and proposed projects from Enbridge and its subsidiary across Michigan and North Dakota.

Subscribers to Industrial Info Resources' GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Key Takeaways

• The Trump administration is allowing Enbridge to continue operating its pipeline facilities at the Canadian border in North Dakota and Michigan
• Enbridge also can perform any needed construction at its facilities in Burke County, North Dakota
• The company already hopes to expand a pipeline connecting the Upper and Lower peninsulas in Michigan

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, Industrial Info Resources has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).