The Canadian energy regulator National Energy Board (NEB) has approved Enbridge's Line 3 Pipeline replacement project though imposing 89 conditions on environmental standards and consultation with landowners and First Nations to monitor the construction.
Enbridge plans to invest C$7.5bn (US$5.9bn) to replace Line 3, an existing 1,660 km long crude oil pipeline originally installed in the 1960s, that extends from Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) to Superior, Wisconsin (United States). The replacement is expected to increase the transport capacity by 370,000 bbl/d, from the current 390,000 bbl/d to 760,000 bbl/d of light, medium and heavy crude.
The project has been delayed from 2017 to 2019 due to the opposition of First Nations and environmental groups in Manitoba and Minnesota (United States). Enbridge will have to submit a further proposal about how it plans to decommission the existing pipeline.