Enbridge Inc. has completed about 90% of initial design work on its 4.5-mile Great Lakes Tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan. The tunnel will house its 540,000-b/d Line 5 liquids pipeline.
The company expects to begin tunnel construction in 2021 for 2024 completion.
Enbridge received a favorable ruling from the Michigan Court of Appeals earlier this year allowing construction of the tunnel (OGJ Online, June 12, 2020).
Line 5 is a 645-mile, 30-in. OD pipeline crossing the Upper and Lower Peninsula’s of Michigan and the straits that separate them as it moves light crude oil, synthetic crude, and NGL from Superior, Wisc., to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The line splits into two 20-in. pipes for the crossing between the peninsulas.
