The 1,900-mile Lakehead System, which is the U.S. portion of the world's longest petroleum pipeline, has operated for 59 years and is the primary transporter of crude oil from Western Canada to the United States. The system spans from the international border near Neche, N.D., to the international border near Marysville, Mich., with an extension across the Niagara River into the Buffalo, N.Y., area. It consists of approximately 3,500 miles of pipe with diameters ranging from 12 to 48 inches; 60 pump station locations; and 64 crude oil storage tanks with a capacity of about 11.6 million barrels.
The Lakehead System serves all the major refining centers in the Great Lakes, Midwest and Ontario, Canada, and through its connection with the affiliated Canadian pipeline, this system has increasing access to refineries in the Mid-Continent and Gulf Coast. Total deliveries on the Lakehead System averaged 1.62 million bpd in 2008, meeting approximately 72 percent of Minnesota refinery capacity; 64 percent of the greater Chicago area; and 68 percent of Ontario's refinery demand.
The Lakehead System is owned by Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. Click on "Ownership Map" to the left for detailed pipeline ownership information.
Western Canadian crude oil is an important source of supply for the United States. In 2006, the United States imported approximately 1.6 million bpd of crude oil from Canada, the largest source of U.S. crude oil imports. Of the Western Canadian crude oil moving into the United States, about 70 percent is transported on the Lakehead System.
Both U.S. and western Canadian conventional crude oil production are in decline. Yet, during the last several years, development of the oil sands in Alberta, Canada, has offset declining western Canadian conventional production. Combined conventional and oil sands reserves in western Canada are approximately 178 billion barrels, second only to the proven reserves in Saudi Arabia. With oil sands production expected to grow steadily during the next several years, an additional 1.5 million bpd should be available by 2014.
As U.S. refineries demand more imported crude oil, imports from the oil sands will increase. Enbridge is proposing several expansion projects, which are sponsored by multiple Enbridge companies, to help provide a North American solution to energy reliability and security of crude petroleum supply. They include:
Southern Access: An expansion and extension of Enbridge’s existing pipeline system in Wisconsin and Illinois to increase crude oil capacity to Midwest refineries and beyond.
Alberta Clipper: A proposed new crude oil pipeline from Alberta to Superior, Wis., that will, if approved, increase capacity of the Enbridge system by 450,000 bpd and later be expandable up to 800,000 bpd.
Detailed information about the major liquids pipelines expansion projects can be found at www.enbridge-expansion.com.
CLICK HERE for Enbridge Energy, Limited Partnership (The Lakehead System) Tariffs and Carrier's Services.