The Evolution of Facilities Integrity Management at Enbridge Pipelines Inc.

Public and employee safety, environmental stewardship, increased focus by the regulators, public awareness are some of the reasons why operators need to focus on the integrity of their operations and create solutions to reduce common types of releases. In the past, the focus has been on mainline piping integrity due to the greater consequence of mainline releases but increasing importance is being placed on facilities, such as tank terminals and pump stations. Facilities Integrity Management of a pipeline system is a relatively new concept for many companies; however, it is gaining momentum, particularly with regulators and the public. Prior to 2004, various Enbridge departments were responsible for ensuring integrity was maintained within facilities. There was a renewed emphasis and on Enbridge’s Facilities Integrity Programs in 2004 with a mandate of reducing facility releases across the Enbridge Pipeline system. In 2005, a small team of engineers drafted a six-page Facilities Integrity Management System document and program documentation to address facilities integrity issues. Today, Facilities Integrity is responsible for more facilities and programs than originally envisioned. The Integrity Management System documentation has since been amended several times and reviewed through internal and external audits. The Facilities Integrity Management System is vital to the success of the various facilities integrity programs as it identifies responsibilities and associated overlaps and gaps as well as the need for documentation and tracking. As there are no set regulations specific to Facilities Integrity, Enbridge has taken the initiative to be at the forefront of industry practice. This paper will describe Enbridge’s Facilities Integrity Management System: past and present Facilities Integrity programs, current scope of work, the role of Facilities Integrity, the importance of historical release information and program trending, and future initiatives.