A pipeline company wants to almost double the amount of bitumen it sends through a system to Edmonton.
Enbridge announced plans to expand its Wood Bufffalo Extension segment between Cheecham and Kirby Lake. If approved, the 100 km pipeline would be expanded from its 30 inch diameter structure to 36 inches.
“We continually work closely with our customers to ensure we’re meeting their market access needs through safe, reliable transportation solutions offered at the lowest practical cost,” stated President of Liquids Pipelines Guy Jarvis.
Enbridge wants to connect it to the Athabasca Twin at Kirby Lake and use more horsepower to increase capacity from 450,000 barrels bpd to 800,000 bpd.
“By combining the Wood Buffalo Extension Project and the Athabasca Pipeline Twin, we will be able to deliver significant toll savings to our shippers while meeting all our contractual commitments to them. At the same time, optimization of the projects is a more efficient use of capital for Enbridge and preserves attractive returns,” states Jarvis.
The company plans to file an amendment application to the Alberta Energy Regulator sometime this spring. Estimates say work on the Regional Oil Sands System will cost $5.6 billion.
