Posted on 09/14/2010 7:25:15 AM PDT by Lorianne
Enbridge Inc on Saturday started digging up the pipeline that halted nearly a third of Canada's crude oil exports to the United States when it sprung a leak two days ago, but the company does not have an estimate on how long repairs will take.
Enbridge said removal of the damaged pipe is complicated by utility lines and sewer pipes near its line, forcing workers to dig by hand or use high-pressure water to expose the oil conduit. It can't yet say when that will be completed or when shipments might resume.
The leak was discovered around noon on Thursday at a stretch of pipeline in Romeoville, Illinois, about 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Enbridge quickly shut down its Line 6A, the largest of its three major lines that take Canadian crude to refineries in the U.S. Midwest and on to the Cushing, Oklahoma, oil storage hub.
The line can handle 670,000 barrels per day but was transporting about 459,000 bpd before the leak.
Canada shipped 1.75 million barrels of crude to the United States in the week to September 3, making it by far the largest foreign supplier. Saudi Arabia, the No. 2 supplier, shipped 1.16 million bpd to U.S. markets last week, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Major blockage in the flow
Ping
The line isn’t exporting to the USA, its passing through.
To where?
Any "news" of shortage or any price pressure effect is just another 2 x 4 to help prop up the already over-inflated price of fuel in the hurricane wind of plummeting demand.
To Ontario. Its a shorter route than around lake Superior and Georgian bay. Imperial oil refinery in Sarnia I believe.
Wrong direction, CC. This is oil coming from Canuckia to the US, there’s 2 (3?) refineries in Romeoville.
Sarnia is a common hub for both directions.
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