Great Lakes Tunnel System Projects - Enbridge Energy
Value Management Study
Overview
Passing under environmentally sensitive areas, the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline conveys petroleum from western to eastern Canada via the Great Lakes states.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources approved an agreement to build a multi-purpose tunnel that will house multiple utility lines. This agreement allows Enbridge to construct a new tunnel beneath the Straights of Mackinac.
The value study focused on the maintenance, operations, and life-safety requirements of this complex project.
Highlights
- OBJECTIVEValue Management Study
- TEAMEnbridge, Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority
The Objective
- The project will protect the environment by providing secondary containment of hydrocarbons
- Socialize the project with stakeholders, understand their needs, and incorporate input
- Propose tunnel system design recommendations to satisfy functional performance requirements and minimize life-cycle cost
554000
barrels of light oil and natural gas liquids per day30-inch
diameter oil pipeline 4-miles beneath the lakebedThe Solution
- The value management study team developed six VM alternatives that were combined into a single VM strategy for project improvement
- Building stone sills and breakwaters will accommodate 2 feet of sea-level rise more efficiently at the end of Phase 1 resulting in more resilient structures and reducing the time and cost of remediating poor soils