Enbridge Inc. has substantially completed its Line 3 Replacement Project, setting an Oct. 1, 2021, in-service date. The new 337-mile Minnesota segment of Line 3 restores full capacity to 760,000 b/d.
The Minnesota segment of the crude oil pipeline used 36-in. OD pipe to replace 282 miles of the existing 34-in. line installed in the 1960s. Completion of work in Minnesota marks full replacement of the entire 1,097-mile pipeline from Edmonton, Alta. to Superior, Wisc.
The 14-mile Wisconsin segment of the project entered service May 2018. The 13-mile North Dakota segment was completed December 2020, at which point Enbridge began construction in Minnesota.
Enbridge had been operating the line at 390,000 b/d since 2008, cutting pressure to mitigate the possibility of leaks.