Pipelines, looping and crossovers explained

Enbridge owns and operates natural gas pipeline systems across North America. These pipelines act like energy highways, and are primarily installed underground to move gas safely and efficiently. To meet increased demand, new construction projects can involve “pipeline looping”—that is, adding and connecting a parallel line to an existing pipeline in an area where a bottleneck exists. This construction method minimizes disruption, and the new pipeline segment acts like an additional lane on the slower part of a highway—alleviating the bottleneck, boosting transportation capacity, and giving the gas more room flow through the system. Crossover pipeline assemblies are often installed as part of looping projects to connect the new segment to the main pipeline. Crossovers can also be used to reroute gas to an adjacent pipeline when pipeline maintenance is required, allowing for uninterrupted natural gas service.