Dakota Access Pipeline 99% Complete
Energy Transfer Partners LP said on Thursday that 99 percent of its controversial Dakota Access Pipeline is complete after receiving all federal authorizations necessary earlier this month.
The crude pipeline will begin or continue line fill in late March or early April, according to executives on its fourth-quarter earnings call. It will then begin "demand charges" on subscribed volumes by June 1.
Native Americans and environmental activists have said the multibillion-dollar pipeline threatens the water resources and sacred land of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, but President Donald Trump has quickly pushed for the completion of the pipeline since taking office last month.
The pipeline will carry Bakken crude from North Dakota through the Midwest, and then be transported through a connecting pipe into the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The company added that it had not yet launched its next open season for additional shippers, but expects to do so in the next 30 to 60 days. It said it remains in dialogue with potential shippers currently.
Meanwhile, Energy Transfer added that work on the 24-inch (61-cm) segment on the Bayou Bridge pipeline project from Lake Charles to St. James in Louisiana is ahead of schedule and expects to start deliveries in the fourth quarter.
(Reporting by Catherine Ngai)
