Commissioners from Red Lake, Polk and Hubbard Counties and other interested persons were given a guided tour of the Enbridge pump station at Clearbrook. They were able to see how Enbridge pipeline system serves as a vital link to stable and reliable North American crude oil supplies for Minnesota and the surrounding region.

Bill Palmer, Enbridge Terminal Supervisor at Clearbrook explained the control system. They check levels, tanks, volume and where the oil is going. Various products are kept in separate tanks and they can all be monitored with this system. Monitoring is constantly being done by sensors that transmit data to Enbridge’s central control facility in Edmonton, Alberta.

Cheryl Grover, the Community Liaison Consultant for Enbridge Pipeline from Bagley.

Joan Lee, Polk County Commissioner 4th District and her husband Mark at the Enbridge tour in Clearbrook.

Mitzi Balstad, Fosston gets her gear on for the Enbridge Pipeline tour.

Guests at Enbridge all had to sign in for the pump station tour. Signing in at Clearbrook was Charlene Christianson, the Hubbard County Commissioner District 2.

Present and proposed lines.

Aerial view of Enbridge facility at Clearbrook.

KOMAX equipment is used for testing of products at Enbridge.

Inside the small building that houses the back up batteries and breaker boxes for Line 67 at the Enbridge pump station in Clearbrook.

Ground valve controls are featured inside and outside of the Enbridge facility.

The apparatus in this container is called a pig. These are inserted into the oil pipelines to perform various maintenance operations. It can be used for cleaning or inspecting of the lines. It can be done without stopping the flow of the product that is being sent through the line.

Building that houses Line 67 Project at Enbridge pump station near Clearbrook. As part of the Mainline Enhancement Program, Enbridge increased the average annual capacity of Line 67 in two phases, from 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) to its full design capacity of 800,000 bpd. The Line 67 Upgrade Project did not require new pipeline construction. Enbridge added pump station horsepower at the existing facilities.

Tour given at Enbridge Energy’s Clearbrook Terminal

Tue, 08/23/2016 - 10:24am admin

Enbridge Energy’s Clearbrook Terminal was opened recently for a tour of the large facility. Included in the tour were county commissioners from, Red Lake, Polk and Hubbard counties, Senator Rod Skoe and other interested persons. They were able to see the inner workings of the property located just south of Clearbrook.

Bill Palmer, the terminal supervisor stated that about 15 people are at the facility, as it is mostly run by automation. Monitoring is constantly being done by sensors that transmit data to Enbridge’s central control facility in Edmonton, Alberta.

The Clearbrook terminal receives the oil in Enbridge pipelines coming from the tar sand fields of Canada and the Bakken field in North Dakota and is transferred to refineries in the Twin Cities. The tanks that are located on the property is temporary storage and can go with the Koch Pipeline located just south of the Enbridge facility at Clearbrook or to Superior, Wisconsin. The Kochs are one of many shippers that Enbridge transports oil for through their same lines.

The pump station is vital to move the oil along. Pressure is used to maintain flow in the pipeline. It is a very slow process as liquid petroleum moves at about a walking pace.

Enbridge is also planning for renewal energy. They have more than 2,800 megawatts of green power generation capacity from wind, solar and geothermal projects. To date, they have invested in: 16 wind farms (more than 2,500 MW gross capacity, either in operation, planned or under construction); Four solar energy operations (150 MW gross capacity); Five waste heat recovery facilities (34 MW gross capacity); A geothermal project (23 MW capacity); A hydroelectric facility (2 MW capacity).

Palmer wanted to remind people to “Call Before You Dig”. 811 is a free service and one should never assume the depth of pipelines. You should call if you are planting trees, installing fence posts, constructing sidewalks, steps, roads, parking lots, driveways, ditches, utilities or buildings.

Tour given at Enbridge Energy’s Clearbrook Terminal

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