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‘Greening’ pipeline operations en route to our emissions target

Published: November 20, 2020

Enbridge’s Pennsylvania project to join New Jersey facility in supplying solar energy to help keep natural gas flowing

Earlier this month, Enbridge announced a company-wide plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our operations by 20501, 2.

Today, in Tyrone Township, Pennsylvania, we’re taking another important step on that journey.

Enbridge has broken ground on the Heidlersburg Solar Project—another state-of-the-art solar energy facility that will help to green our natural gas pipeline operations.

The facility will produce 2.5 megawatts (MW) of solar energy for Enbridge’s Heidlersburg Compressor Station, offsetting a portion of the station’s electric load and helping power the compressor units that keep gas flowing along our cross-continent Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline.

The first such project of its kind, the Lambertville Solar Project in New Jersey, entered service in October 2020 and supplies 2.25 MW of green energy along the Texas Eastern right-of-way to deliver natural gas to homes and businesses.

“This second project in the program tangibly demonstrates the natural gas-renewables partnership and will help pave the way for our natural gas pipeline operations to be even more environmentally focused, further solidifying Enbridge’s role as an industry leader in a sustainable lower-carbon reality,” says notes Caitlin Tessin, Enbridge’s Director of Market Innovation.

A pioneering approach to greening pipeline operations, Enbridge’s solar self-power program demonstrates the promising nature of a gas-renewables partnership as part of an affordable, reliable, lower-carbon future. Enbridge is advancing the development of similar facilities at several other locations along our gas transmission network, which are expected to come into service over the next two to three years.

The Heidlersburg Solar Project is expected to reduce GHG emissions by 73,200 metric tons over the 25-year life of the facility—or the equivalent of taking 15,810 cars off the road. Together, the Heidlersburg and Lambertville facilities will reduce GHG emissions by nearly 131,700 metric tons over their 25-year life—which equates to removing 28,450 cars from the road.

“As a project that will help to lower emissions and contribute to a more environmentally sustainable future, we applaud the natural gas-renewables partnership in the Heidlersburg solar self-power project,” remarks Mike Butler, mid-Atlantic Director of the Consumer Energy Alliance.

“Renewable energy projects like this one must be part of the long-term answer to solve our energy and environment equation,” he adds, “and natural gas is critical to ensuring that we are able to arrive at a sustainable energy future while meeting demand without increasing energy costs for families and small businesses.”

The Heidlersburg facility will help power infrastructure that’s vital to the delivery of natural gas to homes, businesses, power plants, and industrial facilities, a subject of particular interest in Pennsylvania:

  • About half of the state’s households use natural gas as their primary heating fuel.
  • Much of the local power supply is generated by natural gas-fired power plants.
  • Pennsylvania is the third-largest net supplier of energy to other states, and projects enabling further delivery of Pennsylvania-produced energy help support jobs and the economy.

The $6.5-million project will support about 55 local jobs during construction, and is expected to enter service in the second quarter of 2021.

1 GHG emissions included within our targets are from assets over which we have operational control (Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions). Projected reductions of GHG emissions intensity and absolute emissions is relative to the 2018 baseline year. For more information, see our 2023 Sustainability Report.
2 Absolute emissions.

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