Oil, Gas, Pipelines
Interprovincial Pipe Line
2 pictures · 1968–1973
- Founded
- 1949 (Special Act of the Parliament of Canada, 30 April)
- Head office then
- Toronto, Ontario (president based in Toronto)
Interprovincial Pipe Line was created by Imperial Oil in 1949, by a special Act of Parliament, to move western crude. The first line, finished in 1950, ran from Edmonton to Superior, Wisconsin. Line 5 reached Sarnia in 1953. A Montreal extension opened in 1976.
It was the first permanent pipeline from the Alberta fields to Ontario refineries after Leduc. Line 5 supplied Ontario plants with Alberta crude.
Why it mattered
The line was the first permanent pipeline link from Alberta oilfields to Ontario refineries and U.S. Midwest markets after the 1947 Leduc discovery. Line 5 in particular supplied Ontario’s manufacturing base with Alberta crude.
Now
The company was renamed Interhome, then IPL Energy, then Enbridge in October 1998. The mainline still runs under Enbridge, now based in Calgary.
Still open
- Enbridge’s 2002 AIF dates the Enbridge Inc. name change 6 October 1998; some later Enbridge AIFs say 7 October 1998.
- The present Enbridge Inc. legal entity was incorporated in 1970 (Gallery Holdings) and became parent of Interprovincial Pipe Line Inc. in a 1992 reorganization; the operating pipeline business is the 1949 IPL system.
Sources
The pictures
- Interprovincial Pipe Line 1968 — annual reportarchive.org/details/Inte0918_1968
- Interprovincial Pipe Line 1973 — annual reportarchive.org/details/Inte0918_1973
References
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Enbridge1949 founding; first line 1950; Line 5 1953; Montreal 1976; Norman Wells 1985; Interhome 1988; IPL Energy; Enbridge 1998
- Enbridge Inc. Annual Information Form for the year ended 31 December 2002Articles amended 6 October 1998 to Enbridge Inc.; 1992 parent reorganization; 1994 IPL Energy name
- Enbridge history viewer (company)IPL construction Edmonton–Superior; later extensions including Montreal 1976