CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters)-Enbridge Inc said on Thursday it has closed down a bigger oil pipeline in the Midwest for extended maintenance, adding a squeeze in the transport capacity which has created an abundance of crude oil in Western Canada.
Enbridge said its 670,000 barrels per day on Line 6A would be down until Friday at noon (0400 GMT Saturday) 11 while it finishes work related planned pipeline integrity test.
"Maintenance crew already on the site will remain and work 24 hours a day to minimize shutdown, duration" Enbridge spokesman Steve Jordan said in an e-mail message.
The pipeline runs to Griffith, Indiana, from Superior, Wisconsin.
The company said it is considering postponing other maintenance to recover some of the volumes that have been lost due to closures and downsizing of feeds on its system, which is the main street of Canadian crude exports to the United States.
Pressure was already restrictions for Enbridges pipelines and high nominations, raw backup in Western Canada, forcing the company to interfere with service to certain feeder piping and some manufacturers to reduce production.
Jordan said Enbridge tanks in Edmonton and Hardisty in Alberta, and Superior in Wisconsin are full.
