CALGARY, ALBERTA AND HOUSTON, TEXAS--(Marketwire - Dec. 3, 2007) - Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB) (NYSE:ENB) and Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE:EEP) today report that Enbridge Energy Partners' Line 3, the line damaged in last week's accident near Clearbrook, Minnesota, was restarted at 4:35 a.m. MST December 3, 2007.
The duration of the unplanned outage, combined with storage capability and optimization of Enbridge system flexibility minimized impact on crude oil production and deliveries. Enbridge appreciates the cooperation of shippers on the Enbridge system in realigning deliveries which facilitated operations on Lines 1, 2 and 4 that returned to service starting the morning of November 29, 2007.
Repairs were conducted continuously over the weekend, overcoming the challenges of a major winter snow storm in Minnesota on Saturday. A segment of pipeline approximately 180 feet long was replaced and the pipeline has been returned to pre-incident operating pressures following consultation with the Federal pipeline safety regulator, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
Clean-up of the site also progressed over the weekend with all oil and the majority of impacted soils removed from the area. The volume of oil released was estimated to be 325 barrels, which was largely contained in the trench that had been excavated to facilitate the planned maintenance. Contaminated soil was excavated and transported to an approved facility. While environmental impacts are expected to be minimal, Enbridge will continue to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to complete the environmental cleanup of the site.
The cause of the accident remains under active investigation with complete results not expected for several weeks. The section of pipeline involved in the failure was removed and transported to a third party facility for examination and testing. Enbridge continues to work closely with federal and state agencies in the investigation of the incident, including the PHMSA, representatives of the Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), along with state and local public safety officials. Enbridge expresses its sincere appreciation to the community of Clearbrook, Clearwater County and surrounding areas emergency responders for their professional, diligent and supportive actions.
Enbridge Inc. (www.enbridge.com) is a leader in energy transportation and distribution in North America and internationally. As a transporter of energy, Enbridge operates, in Canada and the United States, the world's longest crude oil and liquids pipeline system. Enbridge also has international operations and a growing involvement in the natural gas transmission and midstream businesses. As a distributor of energy, Enbridge owns and operates Canada's largest natural gas distribution company, which provides distribution services in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and in New York State; and is developing a gas distribution system for the Province of New Brunswick. Enbridge is a Canadian company and its common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada and on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States under the symbol ENB.
Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. owns the U.S. portion of the world's longest liquid petroleum pipeline and is active in natural gas gathering, treating, processing and transmission. Enbridge Energy Management, L.L.C. (NYSE:EEQ) manages the business and affairs of the Partnership and its sole asset is an approximate 14 percent interest in the Partnership. Enbridge Energy Company, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Enbridge Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, is the general partner and holds an approximate 15 percent interest in the Partnership.