An expansion to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has been completed and it has started operations; announced one of the pipeline owners this Tuesday and Argus Media reported. Now, the expanded pipeline will have a capacity of 750,000 barrels per day.
Firstly, Phillips 66 Partners, one of the pipeline owners announced this Tuesday that the Bakken optimization project had been completed; adding 180,000 b/d of capacity to DAPL. Later this day, Energy Transfer confirmed the incremental.
Secondly, the company said that there has been a “significant increase” for August nominations as minimum volume commitments on the expanded DAPL capacity kicked in at the start of the month.
Thirdly, plans for DAPL expansion are not new; in fact, there has been a strong controversy over the pipeline’s expansion, as we have reported previously. Energy Transfer’s plans are to expand the pipeline to over 1,1 million b/d, by adding pump stations. Such expansion would include the entire Bakken system; which includes DAPL from the Bakken shale to Patoka, Illinois; as well as the connecting of the Energy Transfer Crude Oil pipeline (ETCOP) to the US Gulf coast.
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Bakken expansions of the Dakota Access Pipeline do not involve new pipeline segments
Moreover, Philipps 66, which is a partner in the Bakken system, announced that an expansion on the DAPL involving the Bakken system had been completed, and that all is ready to continue with the next phase of expansions. Other partners in the Bakken system are Enbridge and Marathon Petroleum’s midstream affiliate, MPLX.
In addition, the further expansion on the Bakken system do not require any construction on the mainline or building new pipeline segments. Consequently, such works do not involve the infamous new pipeline segments for the DAPL that boomed a plethora of lawsuits filed by Native American tribes.
Finally, on that regard, Energy Transfer said today, according to Argus Media, that it continues to cooperate with the Army Corps of Engineers on the new DAPL environmental review.
