Does your crude oil pipeline system have shut-off valves?

Yes. Isolation valves are used to control or halt the flow of crude oil and other liquids, and represent a key piece of safety equipment on a pipeline system. Enbridge meets or exceeds regulatory requirements by using an Intelligent Valve Placement (IVP) program to determine valve placement across our system.

Enbridge’s IVP methodology—our formalized approach to applying rigorous risk assessment and thorough engineering practices to valve placement—is designed to ensure intelligent valves are placed at the right location, to reduce potential release volumes along all pipelines in our system.

Remotely controlled valves are used to provide immediate response in the unlikely event of an emergency. They can be closed by staff at our Pipeline Control Center immediately upon detection of a problem, with full closure occurring within three minutes of activation.

We use our IVP program to determine optimal valve locations. These locations can be influenced by a number of factors, including topography and the presence of water crossings and high-consequence areas—such as urban population centers, drinking water resources, environmentally sensitive areas, and commercially navigable waterways.