Mr. John Fallon reports

ENBRIDGE AND NDT GLOBAL ADVANCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEXT GENERATION PIPELINE INSPECTION TECHNOLOGY

Enbridge Inc. and NDT Global are taking the next leap in integrity management by partnering in a multiyear research and development project to advance innovation in pipeline inspection technology and ultimately, drive pipeline safety and reliability to a new level.

The multiyear collaboration agreement focuses on the development of a new generation of inspection tool that is targeted to even further improve pipe crack assessment. Enbridge and NDT Global have already been working together for 15 years on pipeline inspections and are at the forefront of the industry in advancing crack assessment with high resolution ultrasonic inspections. This joint investment will bring further innovation and a new technology capability to the existing integrity management programs.

"At Enbridge, we are continually looking for opportunities to enhance existing technologies, and progress new ones, in the areas of design, construction, operation and maintenance, to keep our pipelines safe," said Walter Kresic, Enbridge's vice-president of pipeline integrity of Enbridge Pipelines Inc. "We believe this next-generation project with NDT Global will build on the industry-leading tools and technology we already use, and further enhance our ability to inspect, monitor and prioritize cracking threats in pipelines," added Mr. Kresic.

Enbridge works with organizations around the globe that provide best-in-class technologies for keeping pipelines safe, assisting such organizations to develop the technologies, including in-line inspection tools, ever further. In-line inspection tools, known in the industry as "intelligent pigs," are highly complex pieces of equipment that use sophisticated sensor technology and powerful computation to inspect pipes millimetre by millimetre, with a level of detail similar to that provided by MRI and ultrasound technology in the medical industry. They are essential to Enbridge's program of pipeline integrity management.

"NDT Global's long-term goal is to eliminate pipeline failure due to pipe integrity defects," said Mario Lemme, chief executive officer of NDT Global. "Achieving this requires collaboration in long-term research and development projects. We are delighted to collaborate closely with Enbridge on this initiative, which offers a real opportunity to make a breakthrough in crack assessment capability."

The scope of the new project is aimed at evolving existing in-line inspection performance. Enbridge and NDT Global have set ambitious goals for improving the ability to accurately and consistently find crack features. An important step in this research and development program will be to prove the equipment capability by conducting test runs within the Enbridge pipelines in Canada and the United States.

Enbridge invests significantly in the fitness of its systems and in leak detection, and in the past five years spent more than $4.9-billion on programs that help Enbridge maintain the fitness of its systems across operations in Canada and the U.S.

"Investing in research and innovation is an important component of our approach to pipeline safety, benefiting Enbridge and the industry as a whole," concluded Mr. Kresic.

About Enbridge Inc.

Enbridge is North America's premier energy infrastructure company with strategic business platforms that include an extensive network of crude oil, liquids and natural gas pipelines, regulated natural gas distribution utilities, and renewable power generation. The company delivers an average of 2.8 million barrels of crude oil each day through its Mainline and Express pipelines, accounts for nearly 68 per cent of U.S.-bound Canadian crude oil production, and moves approximately 20 per cent of all natural gas consumed in the U.S., serving key supply basins and demand markets. The company's regulated utilities serve approximately 3.5 million retail customers in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York. Enbridge also has a growing involvement in electricity infrastructure, with interests in more than 2,500 megawatts of net renewable generating capacity, and an expanding offshore wind portfolio in Europe.