Enbridge plans for the bitumen barrage

摘要

With experts forecasting rising oilsands production over the coming years, a pipeline company has announced major expansion plans to help keep the crude flowing.Enbridge Inc. says it plans to twin its Athabasca pipeline, connecting oilsands projects at Kirby Lake, Alta., to the major oil hub at Hardisty, 345 kilometres south in central Alberta .The $1.2-billion project would add a new 36-inch pipeline along the existing Athabasca right-of-way. Initial capacity would be 450,000 barrels per day, although the company says another 350,000 barrels per day could easily be added with only a minor cost increase.The pipeline is expected to be up and running at full initial capacity by 2016, and not a moment too soon if other oilsands projects continue at their present pace.