Natural gas distribution and construction

EPCOR's distribution system will consist of 2 components:

• A larger diameter pipeline that will be the backbone of the system and transport gas to each of the communities, approximately 120 km.
• Smaller diameter medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) distribution piping that will be constructed with each of the communities to directly serve homes and businesses, approximately 178 km.

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) awarded EPCOR the project in April 2018, and approved our Leave to Construct application in July 2019.

Under our current timeline, we expect to begin connecting our first customers by the end of 2019. In 2020, 2021 and 2022 we will bring more communities onto the natural gas distribution system. We anticipate bringing the full system in-service by the end of 2022. Construction will be completed in phases. At each step, we will notify local stakeholders of construction activities and strive to minimize any potential impacts.

UPDATE: Construction will continue throughout 2024. We anticipate completing the installation of the distribution system this year, and being able to have natural gas service fully activated in your community by the end of the year. 

• EPCOR will operate the natural gas distribution system under the name EPCOR Natural Gas LP.
• Aecon Utilities is the project's design construction partner.
• Stantec Consulting Ltd. supported development of the Environmental Report and all regulatory and permit applications, and is providing environmental monitoring services during construction.
• LandSolutions is a land consulting firm that will support EPCOR in accessing and managing land for the project.​​​

Contractors and suppliers play a vital role in our ability to do business. Since mobilizing the project in 2019, we have employed an average of 150 local workers each year.

The OEB's review and approval are required as we proceed with the Project and as we make changes to reflect the costs of providing natural gas service and maintaining the distribution system.

The pipeline will commence at Dornoch at an interconnection with Union Gas and will extend westerly from Dornoch to the Bruce Energy Centre, serving Paisley and Chesley, then extending south to serve Inverhuron, Tiverton, Kincardine Lurgan Beach and Point Clark. The pipeline will then extend east to serve Ripley and Lucknow. The map below illustrates the routing of this pipeline.

When developing route options, our goal is to identify a preferred route with lower levels of overall impact. We consider several factors, including:

• Input from local stakeholders
• Health and safety
• Social impacts
• Environment
• Existing infrastructure
• Use of existing infrastructure space, such as utility corridors and road right-of-ways
• Length of the pipeline and associated costs
• Routing that follows a reasonably direct path between start and end points
• Construction impacts

To build the distribution network safely and maintain reliability of other utilities, in accordance with the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, we will first need to identify the utilities that are located along the public utility corridor.

In the community, many properties have landscaping or driveways that extend on top of the public utility corridor. Your property may be one of them.

As a result, our crews will be on your street and at the end of your property:

• Spray painting or placing flags on the location of buried utilities that needs to be exposed. Please do not remove or relocate the flags or paint.
• Excavating the area to confirm the presence of existing drainage, telecommunications and/or hydro utilities. This may result in driveways and sidewalks being cut or landscaping disrupted to expose the utilities.
• Temporarily restoring the area as we may need to repeat the process later in the construction season. Full restoration will take place when customers have been connected and the work is complete.​

Homeowners are responsible for identifying their underground systems. Please call to let us know if any of these are present and clearly mark these on your property with an object (e.g. flag, stake, rope, etc.) so we can take care while doing our work: 

• Propane or oil tanks
• Irrigation systems
  
• Septic systems and/or wet wells
• Sprinklers
• Drainage tiles
• Invisible dog fences

To bring natural gas to your community, we will be constructing the distribution system and connecting it to the system that is now operational in Kincardine. To do this, we will complete the following:

• Installing plastic distribution mainlines and service lines
• Pressure testing the system, as part of quality control measures, before adding in natural gas
• Connecting pressure regulating stations and valves that help control the flow and pressure along the system
• Commissioning and purging to safely add natural gas into the system before connecting to our customers

EPCOR’s construction partner, AECON, or their subcontractor, Badger, may need access inside your property. 

As we build the distribution system, we need to ensure the natural gas lines we install don’t interconnect with active sewer lines to prevent a natural gas leak, known as a cross bore.

In some cases, our crews may need to enter your property to scope the sewer line to confirm its pathway. A 90 degree bend in the line or a blockage that needs to be cleared are possible reasons why the crew cannot locate the line and will require access to your property. 

Even if you are not a natural gas customer, this inspection could be necessary.

As part of the inspection, a locating device and camera are inserted into a sewer entry point, which is most likely in your basement, to track and record the location of the sewer line. 

Crews will show identification and wear PPE when entering your property.

Learn more about natural gas leaks.

Once we have constructed the natural gas distribution system, we will be back on your street to connect customers who have signed up for service with EPCOR.

During this time, you may see the following:

• Utility companies may once again spray paint or place flags on your property to identify any underground services
• Installation of service lines that connect the gas meter at the property to the distribution system
• Installation of gas meters that enable customers to receive service at their property

At the end of the construction season, we will restore areas that were disturbed as part of our construction.

The sections on both the public and private side that are disturbed will be restored as follows:

Boulevards or driveways: with equivalent materials and matched to the existing grade, as much as possible. AECON is installing cold patch fillers on the sidewalk panels or on customers' driveways. It is made up of tar and gravel, and is a temporary measure until we can perform the permanent restoration with either asphalt or cement.

Irrigation systems, underground sprinklers or invisible dog fences: with equivalent parts, as close to the original as possible. 

Lawn: with grass seed or topsoil.

Restoration will take place until the construction season ends this year. If conditions become unsuitable sooner than expected, we will return the following spring. In addition, we can return one year from restoration to determine if any further restoration is required.

Affected streets, alleys and sidewalks will be fully restored once construction is complete.