A plan by Enbridge (ENB) and Energy Transfer (ET) to move Canadian crude oil through the Bakken has cleared a key hurdle, receiving a presidential permit on April 15 to reverse flows on ENB’s Bakken Pipeline.
The permit authorizes continued operation of the cross-border Bakken system, as well as the construction of a new Line 26 segment. The Line 26 Optimization project involves reversing the Bakken line, which currently flows northbound into Canada.
East Daley reviewed the joint ENB-ET project in December when details were scant. Enbridge plans to construct a new 24-inch pipeline connecting the Bakken system to ET’s Ramberg Terminal, providing direct access to Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The new pipe is expected to span ~80 miles, of which 60 miles will be built in North Dakota (see project map above).
As part of the project, the existing 12-inch line will be decommissioned from Steelman Station to just south of the US–Canada border, with the remaining segment to the Berthold Terminal abandoned. The new pipeline will generally parallel the existing route before diverging at a new US valve site and tying into Ramberg. We expect the line to primarily transport conventional light crude.
While Enbridge had previously guided to filing applications in the second half of 2026, the presidential permit indicates an accelerated timeline. Construction is expected to start in 2027, and ENB is targeting in-service in late 2028, pending state and local approvals.
The Enbridge Bakken system has a capacity of 149 Mb/d but its throughput averaged only 25 Mb/d in 2025, according to East Daley Analytics’ Crude Hub Model, indicating significant underutilization. DAPL’s flows averaged 515 Mb/d in 4Q25; volumes declined to 492 Mb/d in January ‘26. With 750 Mb/d of capacity, DAPL has ample capacity to absorb incremental southbound barrels as Western Canadian production and exports increase. – Amelia Johnson Tickers: ENB, ET.
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