Portland-Montreal Pipe Line

The Portland Montreal Pipe Line is a series of underground pipes that carry crude oil from Portland, Maine to Montreal,Quebec.

History

The Portland Montreal Pipe Line's history began during World War II, as oil shipments to Canada were largely disrupted by enemy naval forces. Portland offered a safe and secure port to unload the oil and thus the Portland Pipeline was built to transfer oil to the Canadian refineries. In 1941 the pipeline construction was completed and the transfer of oil began. The pipeline originally consisted of three separate pipes, which crossed through the same common right-of-way. Today only two pipes operate after they underwent renovation. The third and smallest pipe was properly decommissioned in 1982. Since it has been in service, the pipeline has pumped over convert|4|Goilbbl|m3 of oil to Montreal refineries. [ [http://www.pmpl.com/about.php ::Portland Montreal Pipe Line:: About us ] ] The pipeline is the reason that Portland is the largest oil port on the Eastern seaboard, as more than 200 tankers deliver oil to the port annually. [ [http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=167756&ac=PHbiz Pipeline pondering flow change | Portland Press Herald ] ]

Details

Oil is delivered via tanker ships to one of South Portland, Maine's marine terminals where it is pumped to an convert|100|acre|km2|sing=on tank farm, along South Portland's waterfront. The facility includes 23 oil tanks and a capacity of convert|3.5|Moilbbl|m3 of crude oil. The oil is then pumped through two separate pipelines, one which is convert|18|in|mm thick and another which is convert|24|in|mm thick. [ [http://www.pmpl.com/guide.php ::Portland Montreal Pipe Line:: Neighborhood guide ] ] The pipeline extends convert|236|mi|km, three feet beneath the surface and has several pump stations distributed throughout the line. The pipeline crosses into the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, eventually passing under the St. Lawrence River, extending into Montreal. From South Portland to Montreal, it takes between 36-43 hours for the oil to reach its destination where it is processed in one of two refineries. [ [http://www.raymondmaine.org/historical_society/portland_pipeline.htm Portland Pipeline ] ]

Expansion

In February 2008 the Portland Pipeline Corporation released that it seeks to study a proposition to pump crude oil from Canada to Portland, as more and more crude oil reserves are being utilized in Canada. The proposed plan would hope to open up international markets to Canadian petroleum and would cost an estimated 100 million dollars in modifications to the pipeline and South Portland facilities. [ [http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/021895.html MaineToday.com | News Update: Firm will study bringing oil from Canada ] ]

References

ources

http://www.enewsbuilder.net/aopl/e_article000338822.cfm?x=b11,0,w