Christopher E. Smith
OGJ Pipeline Editor
HOUSTON, Feb. 18 -- Enbridge Energy Partners LP and Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc. finalized 100,000 b/d of open season capacity commitments with additional shippers for the Bakken Expansion Program on the Enbridge North Dakota System, owned by EEP, and the Enbridge Saskatchewan System, owned by the Enbridge Income Fund.
Added capacity from this expansion will total 145,000 b/d, of which 25,000 b/d will be available by early 2011, following completion of the Portal Reversal Expansion Project, and the remaining 120,000 b/d by late 2012. The 2012 timing is earlier than the early-2013 projection that Enbridge estimated when it first announced the expansion (OGJ Online, Aug. 25, 2010).
The expansion program will originate at Beaver Lodge, ND, and follow existing EEP and EIF right-of-way to terminate at and deliver to the Enbridge mainline terminal at Cromer, Man. Once on the Enbridge mainline, Bakken production will have access to multiple markets.
Regulatory arrangements require a maximum of 115,000 b/d be held by committed shippers, with at least 30,000 b/d reserved for uncommitted volumes. The majority of agreements are for 10-year terms. Enbridge places the ultimate expansion capacity of the program at up to 325,000 b/d with modifications and additional facilities.
Enbridge expects total cost of the program to be near $560 million, involving US projects by EEP costing about $370 million and Canadian projects by EIF costing $190 million (Can.).
Contact Christopher E. Smith at [email protected].