Enbridge will be putting in a new compressor unit and cooling unit at its station in 150 Mile House.
Spokesperson Tracie Kenyon said during the peak of the construction phase there will be approximately 120 people on-site and that on average there will be about 70 to 80 contractors who will be working on the project from beginning to end.
“We expect that the whole unit will be in service by Q4, so by the end of 2021,” Kenyon said. “There’s a bit of preparatory work happening but the big pieces of construction will happen in spring. I think right now that they’re doing the clearing there.”
Kenyon said the expansion does require the permanent in-filling of a very small man-made cattail marsh.
“When I say very small, it’s less than 0.08 hectares,” Kenyon said. “So by doing that that allows us to keep this new unit as close as possible to all of the existing infrastructure and to minimize the overall footprint of the entire station.
“We are working with Environment Canada and the Williams Lake Indian Band to enhance a natural larger wetland just near the project,” Kenyon added. “It’s still in the early phases but that being said this enhancement of the marshland will be replacing twice as much wetland as what’s being removed in this area.”
The upgrades at the station in 150 Mile House is part of expansions, upgrades, and operational maintenance at various facilities along Enbridge’s T-South system that runs from Chetwynd to Sumas-Huntingdon Border Crossing.
Once complete Kenyon said the new units will be quieter, more efficient, and result in an overall net reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions.
“As well as the personnel who are working on the site who aren’t local to the area will be encouraged to support local businesses for all of their day to day living needs; that means accommodations, fuel, groceries, and entertainment while they’re working in the area,” Kenyon said.
“The estimated cost for the entire T-South reliability expansion project will be approximately 740 million dollars. If you include some of the other upgrades in and around the T-South it’s almost up to 1 billion.”