abarrelfull wrote on 30 Mar 2012 07:00
Tags: enbridge n-america pipeline usa
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Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) (TSX:ENB) ("Enbridge") today announced that it is upsizing the capacity of its U.S. Gulf Coast Access projects.
The Flanagan South Pipeline from Flanagan, Illinois to Cushing, Oklahoma will be upsized to a 36- inch diameter line with an initial capacity of 585,000 barrels per day (bpd). In a separate announcement today, Enbridge and its partner Enterprise Products Partners L.P. indicated that they will twin their jointly owned Seaway Pipeline from Cushing to the U.S. Gulf Coast at Houston, with an extension to Port Arthur/Beaumont, adding 450,000 bpd of capacity to that system.
The total estimated cost of the Flanagan South Pipeline project, as a result of the larger capacity and pipeline size, has increased from the original $1.9 billion to $2.8 billion. In addition, the Enbridge share of the cost of the Seaway Pipeline twin line and extension is expected to be approximately $1.0 billion.
The increased Flanagan South Pipeline and Seaway Pipeline capacity is required to accommodate additional commitments for Gulf Coast service, originating from both Flanagan and from Cushing, received through recently completed second open seasons. Commitments for service from Flanagan have terms of 10, 15 or 20 years. The full initial capacity of the Flanagan South Pipeline is contracted for these terms apart from the mandatory 10 percent minimum required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Should additional needs arise, the line can be expanded to 800,000 bpd through the addition of low cost pumping capacity. The Flanagan South Pipeline is expected to be in service by mid-2014.
Upon completion of the reversal and expansion of Seaway, shippers can secure seamless transportation rates on the Enbridge and Seaway systems to reach refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
"Enbridge's Gulf Coast Access projects give Bakken and western Canadian producers timely, economical and reliable options to deliver a variety of crudes to refinery hubs throughout the heart of North America and now as far as the Gulf Coast," said Patrick D. Daniel, Chief Executive Officer, Enbridge Inc. "The upsized new Flanagan South Pipeline, combined with our existing Spearhead Pipeline System, will offer shippers 775,000 bpd of capacity from Flanagan to Cushing, with the Seaway Pipeline System reversal and expansion offering capacity of 850,000 bpd from Cushing to the Gulf Coast. The commitments secured in these open seasons will support additional infrastructure to meet the growing transportation needs of these producers and the U.S. Gulf Coast refiners, contributing to North America's energy security into the foreseeable future."
The Flanagan South Pipeline will be constructed along the route of Enbridge's existing Spearhead Pipeline between the Flanagan Terminal, southeast of Chicago, to Enbridge's Cushing Terminal in Oklahoma.
"Enbridge has been committed to safe and reliable operation of our pipelines for more than 60 years," said Mr. Daniel. "This same commitment will be inherent in the design, installation, and operation of our expansion projects. Communities located along the pipeline routes will benefit from property taxes over the life of the pipeline, as well as from the creation of high-paying construction and manufacturing jobs, and associated economic activity during construction."
