NEB sets line 3 hearings
February 24, 2015, 1:49 am
Kevin Weedmark
The National Energy Board is preparing for the public hearing process on Enbridge Pipelines’ Line 3 replacement project.
Enbridge filed an application for the project on Nov. 6, 2014, and the NEB will be accepting applications for the public hearing process in March.
The Line 3 replacement project would be a major project involving decommissioning and replacing line 3, which runs the length of the pipeline right-of-way across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, except for a small section from Cromer east that has already been replaced.
The Enbridge right-of-way runs through Langbank, Maryfield, and Cromer in this area.
For past Enbridge projects, a work camp has been set up in Moosomin to house workers working on projects in eastern Saskatchewan and western Manitoba.
The $7.5-billion Line 3 Replacement Program is the largest project in Enbridge history, and includes replacing 1,660 km of the existing line 3 crude oil pipeline with more modern pipe materials, and using more modern construction methods than when the pipe was first installed.
The project will replace the existing 34-inch-diameter pipeline with a 36-inch-diameter pipeline from Hardisty to Gretna on the Canadian side, and from Neche, N.D. to Superior on the U.S. side, while the existing segments will be removed from operation.
At an open house in Maryfield in 2014, some landowners questioned Enbridge’s plans for decommissioning the old pipe. Some landowners would prefer Enbridge remove the old pipe entirely, rather than leaving it in place under the ground.
In addition to replacing the pipe, the Line 3 replacement project also includes the addition of remotely operated sectionalizing valves, the replacement of some or all Line 3 pumps and associated infrastructure and equipment.
Detailed drawings are being prepared for the project and should be completed by this summer.
Pending regulatory approval, work on the replacement project will take place over the summers of 2016 and 2017, with some work done over the winter of 2016-2017 as well.
