Michigan permits Enbridge to reopen west leg of Line 5 pipeline

The Ingham County Circuit Court of Michigan has allowed North American energy infrastructure firm Enbridge to partially restart the west segment of the Line 5 pipeline.

The Line 5 pipeline was suspended for nearly a week after an inspection found damage to an anchor supporting the underwater section’s eastern segment.

Enbridge’s Line 5 is a 645-mile, 30in-diameter oil and gas pipeline that travels through Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

It originates in Superior, Wisconsin and ends in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

The North American infrastructure firm said that it is now all set to safely restart the west segment of the Line 5 pipeline.

Enbridge expects that operations will soon return to normal.

The company added that it will conduct an inline inspection tool run on the western line following the court order and share its findings with Michigan state in line with the court’s orders.

Meanwhile, the east segment of Line 5 will remain closed as the company is still working with ‘Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’ in order to make sure that all safety assessments are complete before restarting the segment.

Enbridge stated in a press statement: “Enbridge’s Line 5 has served Michiganders safely without incident at the Straits crossing for more than 65 years.

“We remain willing to work with the state going forward to address issues of concern about the safety of Line 5 and its ultimate replacement with The Great Lakes Tunnel that will contain a new section of pipeline.

“Enbridge is currently seeking permit approval of the tunnel which, upon completion, will make a safe pipeline even safer.”

In February this year, US-based LNG development firm NextDecade and Enbridge signed an agreement to jointly develop the Rio Bravo Pipeline in Texas, US.

In September 2019, Enbridge signed an agreement with shippers to place the Line 3 replacement pipeline into service in Canada.