Union Gas pipeline project stationed in Wallaceburg

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Union Gas’ ‘Panhandle Reinforcement Project’ temporary construction yard in Wallaceburg. Photo taken from the end of Forhan Street (Aaron Hall)

Union Gas’ $264.5M ‘Panhandle Reinforcement Project’ from Dawn-Euphemia to Dover, is being stationed in Wallaceburg during its construction phase.

Shovels are going in the ground starting in May, however a temporary yard is already established on some property in Wallaceburg.

“It is kind of exciting for the town,” Sean Collier, district manager for Union Gas in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent, told the Sydenham Current.

“So it is a $264.5M project. You can imagine we are going to have a lot of people coming in to work on this project. So we have got our site office in Wallaceburg and I think it is great because we are going to support the local community. We will use local restaurants, we will have people in and out filling their trucks and things like that so it will be a real benefit to the community and it really is the project office.”

Collier said the Wallaceburg site, which is located on some vacant industrial property behind Lambton Conveyor, was chosen because of the amenities available in town.

“We wanted to be close to town there because of the amenities and you know it was a good spot in terms of where the project is occurring,” he said.

“Central enough and it was just a really good fit. Obviously we needed to find the space that we can utilize as well. We really like the idea because a lot of the work is being done in pretty remote areas. We wanted to make sure that our office was close to amenities and so we could support the community while we do the work.”

Collier added: “I think it is pretty positive. It is also good from a tax perspective in the community. We pay property tax on every meter of pipeline, so there is a positive financial benefit to Chatham-Kent as well as Dawn-Euphemia.

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From Dawn, to Dover

Construction will occur over approximately 41 kilometres on a 36-inch diameter natural gas pipeline between the Union Gas Dawn Hub in the township of Dawn-Euphemia and the Dover Transmission Station on Town Line Road in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Collier said.

“The project is in response to demand essentially in the Windsor/Essex area,” Collier said.

“There is demand in Windsor but also a lot specifically a lot of demand in the Leamington/Kingsville area related to the greenhouse expansion.”

Collier said there is already a line in place So there is already a line there. There is a 16″ there. So we are essentially upgrading the line. It is a lift and lay project. There is actually two lines that run parallel there. So we will take one of the lines which is the 16″ and we will remove it and essentially the same easement and than we will lay the 36″ line down.

“We have already started some activities but the core construction will start in May,” he said.

“We plan to be complete by November.”

Collier said Union Gas works closely with landowners who will be impacted by the construction.

“The area where the pipelines are crossing on private land, we work really closely with land owners and sort of negotiate those land rights,” Collier said.

“Obviously they will be familiar and there will be construction activity. We are going to make sure that they maintain access to their properties.”

Collier said there will be road work and some disruption associated with the project, but the pipeline is being laid in rural areas.

“We will make sure access to homes and businesses will be maintained at all times,” he said.

“Things like noise and dust, obviously there will be some noise when there is construction but we really work hard to minimize any disruption, any noise or any disturbance to residents. We work during day hours too so it is a Monday to Saturday work day.”

Safety-first and environmentally conscious

Safety and the environment are of primary importance for Union Gas with this project, Collier said.

“We do a lot of this work. We are good at it. We really focus on doing it safely and efficiently and working with our neighbours and our communities that we live in,” he said.

“This is our work and the contractors we use they have a lot of experience in it. The number one thing with Union Gas is safety. So in terms of construction, that is the first question we ask ourselves every time we do anything is ‘what is the safest way to do this?’ To make sure that the project is safe, the traffic plans are safe, and the operation of the system is safe. So that is number one as we work through this project.”

Collier added: “Also the environmental side as we are very sensitive to make sure that our impact to the environment is as minimal as possible. Those are a couple of key things that if you are living along the line or even in Wallaceburg it’s nice to know that those are top of mind.”

For more information about the project, click here.

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