Pipeline Saint-Laurent to go ahead between Quebec City and Montreal

Valero Energy Corporation (Ultramar) is planning to build a 100,000 barrel per day gasoline pipeline between its refinery outside Quebec City and a storage site in Montreal.  Construction is proposed for late-summer or early fall of this year.  The project received environmental approval from the Quebec government last October, but construction permits are still required from eight municipalities. 

There is some interesting information on the pipeline project website (Pipeline Saint-Laurent), including the following technical information:

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS


•Total length of underground pipeline: approximately 240 km

•Maximum operating pressure: 10,200 kPa (1,480 pounds per square inch)

•External diameter of pipeline: 406.4 mm (16 inches)

•Minimum thickness of pipeline wall: 6.26 mm

•Permanent easement width: Ultramar favoured 18 metres, but this width must be increased to comply with the CPTAQ decision stipulating a deeper soil cover than what was originally proposed

•Width of temporary work area: ±10 additional metres in woodland areas and ±15 additional metres in cultivated land areas, when required, on either side of the permanent easement

•Minimum soil cover: The standard usage in the pipeline industry is 1.2 m in farmland areas and 0.9 m in woodland areas. However, under the decision delivered on June 25th, 2008, the CPTAQ requires a depth of 1.6 metres in farmland areas and 1.2 metres in woodland areas. In the event that the bedrock is encountered before these depths are reached, they could be revised respectively to 1.2 and 0.9 metres. This requirement by the CPTAQ will also have an impact on the width of the right-of-way and work areas during the construction phase.

•Number of pumping stations: 2 (with the first one located on the Lévis refinery site)

•Aboveground structures: ±20 block valves, 5 pigging stations

The CPTAQ, Quebec's agricultural land protection commission, is requiring the pipeline to be installed at depth of 1.6 metres or roughly 5 feet.  This is consistent with requirements in some U.S. jurisdictions and with other constructions that have taken place in Canada. 
Also of note is the agreement reached between Ultramar and the UPA (L'Union des producteurs agricoles, Quebec's farm industry organization), which is accessible in French at: October 2006 Agreement.