HOUSTON, June 29, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) (TSX:ENB) and Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE:EEP) (the "Partnership") today commenced an Open Season to confirm shipper support for the Southern Access Mainline Expansion and Extension Program.
The expansion consists of up to three separate phases which, in aggregate, will provide an additional 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil capacity on the Enbridge mainline system from Hardisty, Alberta to Chicago, Illinois, at a cost of approximately US$1 billion in 2005 dollars. The Southern Access extension will involve the construction of a new 30-inch diameter 300,000 bpd pipeline from a new interconnection with the mainline system, near Chicago, to hubs at Wood River and Patoka, Illinois, at a total cost of approximately US$320 million. The Program can also be completed as a single project, at a cost savings of US$120 million.
The Canadian expansion portion of the Southern Access Program from Edmonton to the international border near Neche, North Dakota, will be undertaken by Enbridge Pipelines Inc., the Enbridge subsidiary that owns the Canadian mainline system. The U.S. portion of the expansion program, from the international border to Chicago, will be undertaken on the Partnership's Lakehead system (the U.S. mainline system).
The Southern Access extension will be undertaken by a U.S. subsidiary of Enbridge and integrated with the U.S. mainline for rate-making purposes.
Details of the expansion and extension program are included on a fact sheet available on the Partnership's Web site.
The format of the Open Season with respect to the expansion program involves shippers signifying their support by executing a letter of support for Enbridge to initiate regulatory, permitting, and construction activity for one or more phases. The format with respect to the Southern Access extension involves shippers signifying their support by making five-year volume commitments on the new pipeline.
The first stage of the Open Season, from June 29 to July 25, 2005, will involve nonbinding expressions of interest in volume commitments. Following the nonbinding stage, Enbridge will review the results, consult with shippers and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and, if appropriate, conduct the second, binding stage of the Open Season from August 15 to September 15, 2005.
Richard Bird, Group Vice President Liquids Pipelines for both Enbridge and the Partnership said, "The Southern Access Program is a key component of our overall plan to create value for our customers and offer growth and profitability for our investors. We are doing this by providing the additional pipeline infrastructure necessary to facilitate access to new markets for expanding supplies of crude oil from the Alberta oil sands. The Program is good for oil sands producers because it provides adequate capacity to accommodate their growing production and improves access to markets south and east of Chicago. It's also good for U.S. refiners because it enhances their access to a secure and expanding source of crude oil supplies.
"The Program provides our shippers with the lowest cost alternative for the capacity and market access they require, with the flexibility to phase in the capacity, as needed. We will provide the shortest possible transit times, lowest shipper investment in line-fill, minimal contractual commitments and greatest flexibility for storage and alternative delivery options."
The Southern Access Program is complementary to a number of projects undertaken by Enbridge in the last decade to provide access to new refinery markets for growing oil sands production. Specifically, Enbridge has extended market access to Canadian crude through the Mustang joint venture from Chicago to Patoka; the Toledo System from Stockbridge, Michigan to Toledo, Ohio; and the Spearhead pipeline reversal now in progress from Chicago to Cushing, Oklahoma.
Additional information on the Southern Access Program and Open Season has been posted at www.enbridgepartners.com. Parties interested in the Open Season may also contact Laszlo Varsanyi at (403) 508-3109 or Dale Burgess at (780) 420-8123.
ABOUT THE ENBRIDGE-LAKEHEAD MAINLINE SYSTEM
The Partnership's Lakehead System and affiliate Enbridge Pipelines system in Canada are operationally integrated. Together, the systems deliver approximately two-thirds of the crude oil produced in western Canada to refinery centers in the U.S. Upper Midwest and Canada. The Lakehead System spans approximately 1,900 miles in the United States, from the international border near Neche, North Dakota, to the international border near Marysville, Michigan, with an extension across the Niagara River into the Buffalo, New York area. The system is strategically located and provides low-cost and highly reliable delivery of crude oil and natural gas liquids to premium U.S. refinery markets, including Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Detroit-Toledo. In early 2006, the Lakehead System will have access to the Cushing Terminal, one of the largest crude transportation and storage hubs in North America, via the Spearhead pipeline (now undergoing reversal by Enbridge).
ABOUT ENBRIDGE
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.
ABOUT ENBRIDGE ENERGY PARTNERS
Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. (www.enbridgepartners.com) owns the U.S. portion of the world's longest liquid petroleum pipeline and is active in natural gas gathering, processing and transmission. Enbridge Energy Management, L.L.C. (NYSE:EEQ) (www.enbridgemanagement.com) manages the business and affairs of the Partnership, and its sole asset is an approximate 18 percent interest in the Partnership. Enbridge Energy Company, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Enbridge Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, is the General Partner of Enbridge Partners and holds an approximate 11 percent effective interest in Enbridge Partners.
LEGAL NOTICE
When used in this news release, words such as "anticipates", "expects", "plans", "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions pertaining to factors such as: (1) changes in the demand for, or the supply of, and price trends related to crude oil and natural gas liquids; including the rate of development of the Alberta Oil Sands; (2) changes in or challenges to Enbridge Partners' tariff rates; (3) the effects of competition, including by other pipeline systems; (4) regulatory approvals; and (5) performance of other parties. Reference should also be made to Enbridge Partners' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently completed fiscal year, for additional factors that may affect results. These filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC's Web site (www.sec.gov) and via Enbridge Partners' Web site.