Interprovincial Pipe Line's 645 Mile Extension In Operation. Full Line Is Longest In World.

The longest crude oil pipe line in the world was placed in operation this weekend with the arrival at SARNIA of the first western Canadian crude to make the enture 1,770 mile trip exclusively by pipe line. INTERPROVINCIAL PIPE LINE COMPANY, by the completion of its 645 mile 30 inch extension from Superior, Wisconsin, has now provided transportation facilities for continuous yearround movement of crude oil from Alberta to Ontario refineries.

The construction of the large 30 inch section of the interprovincial system was completed in November with construction involving only about 5 months. Since that time the company has been engaged in testing the line and filling it with some 3 million barrels of oil. The entire pipeline from the REDWATER field, north of Edmonton to Sarnia now holds almost 6 million barrels of oil.

In addition to the new section from Superior to Sarnia Interprovincial completed 135 miles of 24 inch loop in 1953 between REGINA and the international border. The pipeline now has a capacity of 178,00 barrels per day out of Edmonton.

Although the new extension into Sarnia provides for an ultimate capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, a progressive expansion program will be required on the portion of the pipe line system west of Superior as well as more pumping stations between Superior and Sarnia before that high throughput can be reached. Such a quantity of oil being delivered into the Sarnia area would require Interprovincial to take into its system at Edmonton over 400,000 barrels per day to provide for deliveries to prairie refineries as well as deliveries to Superior and Duluth refineries. The company recently announced that its 1954 construction program would consist of a portion of this overall stepwise expansion program. New pumpstations and further line looping will be constructed in 1954, which will permit about 205,000 barrels per day to be pumped out of Edmonton in 1955. Further expansion beyond 1954 will be geared to production and market demand.