Enbridge gets OK for pipeline that will run under Markham, 407

January 31, 2014
YorkRegion.com

Enbridge Gas Distribution has been given clearance to go ahead with a $686.5-million pipeline expansion project in Greater Toronto, which will pass through Markham.

There will be a connection to an existing pipeline at a proposed Buttonville station.

And Union Gas has been granted approval to proceed with another $423 million of projects in the GTA that will help it move gas to customers in eastern Ontario, and improve reliability on its system.

The Ontario Energy Board released the decision Thursday.

Construction is expected to begin in late 2014 and finish in October 2015.

The decision was greeted with disappointment by green groups, who had argued that better energy conservation measures could eliminate the need for the projects.

They also objected that the expansion will let more shale gas flow into Ontario.

Most of the new pipe — which Enbridge says is needed to serve growing customer demand — will be laid along the Hwy. 407 corridor.

Enbridge had said the upgrade is needed because its system in the GTA has not had a major expansion since 1992.

“Like adding lanes to Hwy. 401, we are adding pipe to our distribution system to meet the increased natural gas transportation requirements of our customers,” the company explained on its website.

If the project didn’t proceed, Enbridge warned that a crucial distribution station in Toronto’s Port Lands, serving the city core, could run short of gas as soon as the winter of 2015-2016.

In a worst-case scenario, it warned, 270,000 customers might run out of gas.

Reliability isn’t the only factor, Enbridge’s Malini Giridhar said in an interview.

“It also allows us to source lower cost supply,” she said. “This project can also be leveraged for the rest of Ontario and Quebec to have access to these supplies.”

The board accepted the broad objectives of the projects.