CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - July 20, 2012) - Today Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB) (NYSE:ENB) announced Northern Gateway has filed Reply Evidence in the regulatory application for the project and, contained in that filing, details further enhancements in pipeline design and operations. These extra measures build on the plan in the application presently before federal regulators that already far surpasses industry codes and standards.
"We recognize that there are concerns among Aboriginal groups and the public around pipeline safety and integrity. We had already planned to build a state-of-the-art project, using the most advanced technology, safety measures and procedures in the industry today," said Janet Holder, Executive Vice President, Western Access, Enbridge Inc. "With these enhanced measures, we will make what is already a very safe project even safer in order to provide further comfort to people who are concerned about the safety of sensitive habitats in remote areas."
Enbridge and the Northern Gateway project team have worked hard to ensure this unique project would be built and operated to the highest standards. The measures contained in the Reply Evidence go above and beyond anything that has ever been done before in the industry.
The extra measures include:
Enbridge expects these extra measures will carry an additional cost of approximately $400 million - $500 million.
"After years of consultation with stakeholders and after personally attending many regulatory hearings for Northern Gateway, it has become clear - we have to do everything we can to ensure confidence in the project," said Ms. Holder. "We've listened. We have often been asked if we could guarantee that we would never have a significant pipeline failure over the years on Northern Gateway. These initiatives will put the project closer than any pipeline system in the world to providing that guarantee."
The Northern Gateway Project is a proposed 1,176-km twin pipeline system and marine terminal. The proposed project, currently under regulatory review, would transport 525,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil for export and import 193,000 bpd of condensate.
About Enbridge Inc.
Enbridge Inc. is a North American leader in delivering energy and one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. As a transporter of energy, Enbridge operates, in Canada and the U.S., the world's longest crude oil and liquids transportation system. The Company also has a significant and growing involvement in natural gas gathering, transmission and midstream businesses, and an increasing involvement in power transmission. As a distributor of energy, Enbridge owns and operates Canada's largest natural gas distribution company, and provides distribution services in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State. As a generator of energy, Enbridge has interests in almost 1,000 megawatts of renewable and alternative energy generating capacity and is expanding its interests in wind and solar energy, geothermal and hybrid fuel cells. Enbridge employs about 7,000 people, primarily in Canada and the U.S. and is ranked as one of Canada's Greenest Employers, and one of the Top 100 Companies to Work for in Canada. Enbridge's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. For more information, visit www.enbridge.com.
Certain information provided in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate", "expect", "project", "estimate", "forecast" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although Enbridge believes that these statements are based on information and assumptions which are current, reasonable and complete, these statements are necessarily subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties pertaining to operating performance, regulatory parameters, weather, economic conditions and commodity prices. You can find a discussion of those risks and uncertainties in our Canadian securities filings and American SEC filings. While Enbridge makes these forward-looking statements in good faith, should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from those expected. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Enbridge assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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