Enbridge Inc.’s Line 3 replacement project has received approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) to begin construction. The company also was granted its Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers. The one outstanding permit for the project, according to Enbridge, is a storm water permit provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
MPCA earlier this month issued the project’s CWA Section 401 water quality certification as well as a wastewater permit and approval for an air emissions cap (OGJ Online, Nov. 13, 2020).
The Line 3 replacement would add 370,000 b/d of capacity to the line, currently limited to 390,000 b/d. That would return it to the 760,000 b/d level it had reached before voluntary restrictions on its pressure reduced flows.
Enbridge hopes to replace all of Line 3’s 1,031 miles from Hardisty, Alta., to Superior, Wisc. The company has already replaced several segments, including some in Canada, most of the 13 miles in North Dakota and all of the 14 miles in Wisconsin. The replacement segment in Minnesota would be 337 miles, including eight pump stations.
