Enbridge Gas has been given the green light to move ahead with a $251 million project to replace some aging infrastructure in Lambton County.
The company recently received regulatory approval from the Ontario Energy Board to proceed with its Dawn to Corunna Replacement Project.
Seven of 11 natural gas compressors will be decommissioned at the Corunna Compressor Station in St. Clair Township.
Spokesperson Andrea Stass said a new 36-inch diameter steel pipeline will also be constructed between that station and the Dawn Operations Centre in Dawn-Euphemia.
"Because we're building the pipeline, there is an annual incremental property tax that is around $785.000 that will go to the townships of St. Clair and Dawn-Euphemia," said Stass. "They'll sort of be split between the two. And, there will be an increase in construction in the area so we'll use local contractors where we can."
Stass said the existing compressors were installed between 1969 and 1974 and are approaching the end of their lifecycle.
"They are operating safely, but we have families, businesses and critical services that depend on an uninterrupted supply of natural gas, so it's important that we do replace them," she said.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023 with an anticipated in-service date of November 1, 2023.
The project had previously been endorsed by Lambton County council at a meeting last November.
At the time, it was estimated that about 400 temporary construction jobs would be created.