Enbridge announced Friday that it intends to build a $500 million pipeline tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac after a long and continuing legal fight with the state of Michigan, Kallanish Energy reports.
The Canadian pipeline company said it has hired two contractors to proceed with the disputed Line 5 tunnel project.
The tunnel will be built by Great Lakes Tunnel Constructors, a partnership between Michigan-based Jay Dee Contractors and the U.S. affiliate of Japanese tunnel construction firm, Obayashi Corp.
Enbridge has also hired Arup, an engineering and consulting firm to deliver construction design documentation for what it is calling the Great Lakes Tunnel Project.
The company said that construction could begin in 2021 and the tunnel could be completed by 2024.
“The Great Lakes Tunnel Project is essential to Michigan’s economic vitality and long-term energy security,” said Brad Shamla, vice president of U.S. operations at Enbridge, in a statement.
“It will enable residents, schools and businesses to continue to receive critical fuel and the thousands of products Line 5 helps make possible while increasing environmental safeguards and protection of the Great Lakes,” he said.
The company completed geotechnical work last year and will focus on design and permitting this year.
Some Michigan officials including Governor Gretchen Whitmer have opposed to the proposed tunnel and want the liquids pipeline shut down.
Both sides filed lawsuits in the matter.
Last year, a state Court of Claims affirmed Enbridge’s 2018 agreement with the state to build the pipeline tunnel and allowed the company to proceed.
That decision has been appealed by the Michigan attorney general.
The Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority created in 2018 will oversee the project for the state.
The tunnel would be built across four miles of the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan flows into Lake Huron. The straits separate Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas.
At present, two twin pipelines run across the straits.
Line 5 carries 23 million gallons of oil and liquids per day from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario.
It is a critical piece of infrastructure for moving liquids across Michigan, Enbridge has said.
