Enbridge will develop a new industry diluent pipeline with associated capital of up to USD 1.4B, depending on scope, to meet the needs of multiple producers in the Athabasca oil sands region. The base 16” diameter scope for the project will be anchored by throughput commitments from the Fort Hills Partners and Suncor Energy Oil Sands Limited Partnership (Suncor).
Enbridge anticipates securing additional long-term commitments to the Norlite Pipeline in the near term, which could result in an increase in scope to a 24”/20” system. This Norlite system would be capable of transporting 270,000 bpd of diluent from Edmonton into the oil sands region and has the potential to be further expanded with the addition of pump stations to an ultimate capacity of over 400,000 bpd.
The pipeline will be constructed to Enbridge’s Cheecham Terminal with an extension to Suncor’s East Tank Farm, which is adjacent to Enbridge’s Athabasca Terminal, and a potential lateral line to a new Enbridge Norealis Terminal to serve the needs of shippers in the production area Northeast of Fort McMurray. The targeted in-service date is the second quarter of 2017.