What is Line 5?

Our Answer

Enbridge’s Line 5 is a 645-mile, 30-inch-diameter pipeline that travels through Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, originating in Superior, Wisconsin, and terminating in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

Line 5 has been a vital piece of Michigan energy infrastructure since 1953. The products moved on Line 5 heat homes and businesses, fuel vehicles, and power industry in the state of Michigan.

Line 5 supplies 65% of propane demand in the Upper Peninsula, and 55% of Michigan’s statewide propane needs. Overall, Line 5 transports up to 540,000 barrels per day (bpd) of light crude oil, light synthetic crude, and natural gas liquids (NGLs), which are refined into propane.

As it travels under the Straits of Mackinac, Line 5 splits into two 20-inch-diameter, parallel pipelines that are buried onshore and taper off deep underwater, crossing the Straits west of the Mackinac Bridge for a distance of 4.5 miles.

The Line 5 Straits of Mackinac crossing has never experienced a leak in more than 65 years of operation, thanks to a large suite of safety measures at the Straits.