Lakehead Pipeline

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The Lakehead Pipeline, also known as the Lakehead System, is one of the largest oil pipeline systems in the world[citation needed], totaling 3,100 miles (5,000 km) in length including multiple paths. 1,880 miles (3,025 km) of the system is in the United States while the rest is in Canada. On average, it delivers 1.4 million barrels (220,000 m³) of crude oil and other products each day to the major oil refineries in the American Midwest and the Canadian province of Ontario. The Canadian portion is owned by Enbridge, while the U.S. portion is partly owned by that company through Enbridge Energy Partners, LP, formerly known as Lakehead Pipe Line Partners and Lakehead Pipe Line Company.

The first portion of the pipeline was built over the course of 150 days in 1950 by a 1,500-man labor force. It crossed approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Redwater, Alberta, through Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, and Minnesota, to the Great Lakes seaport of Superior, Wisconsin. At the same time, four oil tankers were constructed to carry the crude from Superior to oil refineries in Sarnia, Ontario. Oil first entered the pipe on August 25, 1950, and the first tanker, the Imperial LeDuc, was launched on November 4. The other tankers that followed were the Imperial Redwater, Imperial Woodbend, and B.A. Peerless.

Because the lakes froze in the winter, preventing tanker traffic, the decision was soon made to expand the pipeline all the way to Sarnia. In May 1953, contracts were awarded and construction began. At 1,765 miles (2,840 km), it became the world's longest pipeline. A major upgrade was undertaken in the 1990s to replace old pipe and expand the system.

Today, there are two routes that oil can take between Superior and Sarnia. A northern route passes through the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan before crossing into Ontario, while the southern route circles south of Lake Michigan through Illinois and Indiana before reaching Michigan. There are 59 pumping stations in the pipeline system, and the actual pipes range in diameter from 12 to 48 inches (about 30 to 120 cm).

One major junction point is in Clearbrook, Minnesota where the pipeline connects to the Minnesota Pipeline, which carries crude to the Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota. The North Dakota System of pipeline also has a connection in Clearbrook, linking the Mandan Refinery in Mandan, North Dakota. The Murphy Oil refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, is directly linked to the pipeline.

On November 28, 2007, a large fire erupted during pipeline repair work at the Clearbrook junction. This fire, described by a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety as a "big fire, not an explosion," killed two workers and caused a $4 per barrel spike in oil prices the following day. The 34" pipeline carries crude from Saskatchewan to the Chicago area.

Another point in Lockport, Illinois connects two pipelines to Patoka, Illinois, plus a longer link to Cushing, Oklahoma. A relatively short 35-mile (56 km) link from Stockbridge, Michigan connects to two refineries in the Toledo, Ohio area.

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