OREANDA-NEWS. Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) and Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. announced that MPC will serve as an anchor shipper for the Sandpiper Project. MPC will fund 37.5 percent of the construction of the Sandpiper Project, which will become part of Enbridge Energy Partners' North Dakota System when it is completed. Sandpiper is targeted to be operational in early 2016. In exchange for MPC's commitment to participate in the open season for Sandpiper and its investment in this project, MPC will earn an approximate 27 percent interest in Enbridge Energy Partners' North Dakota System when Sandpiper is placed into service. MPC will also have the option to increase its ownership interest to 30 percent through additional investments in future system improvements.

The Sandpiper Project is the next phase of crude oil pipeline expansion that will provide a safe and reliable transportation corridor from Beaver Lodge, N.D. to Superior, Wis. It will expand and extend the Bakken takeaway capacity of the North Dakota System by 225,000 barrels per day (bpd) to a total of 580,000 bpd. The Sandpiper pipeline is currently estimated to cost approximately \\$2.6 billion.

“With the growth in Bakken crude oil production, the Sandpiper Project will provide needed pipeline takeaway capacity for crude oil transportation out of the region,” said Mike Palmer, senior vice president, Supply, Distribution and Planning. “This project further strengthens our ability to transport Bakken crude oil by pipelines and benefits MPC by providing additional access to this resource at a competitive cost of transportation.”

In 2012, MPC agreed to be the anchor shipper on the Enbridge Southern Access Extension pipeline from Flanagan, Ill. to Patoka, Ill. As a result of that commitment, MPC has the option to acquire a 25 percent ownership interest in Southern Access Extension. Due to MPC's commitment to the Sandpiper Project, MPC's option for ownership interest in Southern Access Extension will increase an additional 10 percent to a total of 35 percent.

These projects further MPC's ability to cost effectively access the shale production from this part of the country. In addition, MPC's equity ownership interest in both of these major pipelines will make a significant contribution toward the company's plan to grow its midstream logistics business.

MPC is making strategic investments in organic projects in other shale plays in the U.S. MPC currently has underway in the Utica Shale region in eastern Ohio a number of midstream projects that will facilitate transportation and processing crude oil and condensate from this emerging shale play.

Palmer added, “Along with the infrastructure investments for loading and unloading Utica production, we are investing in condensate splitters at our Canton, Ohio and Catlettsburg, Ky. refineries. In addition, we are developing a new pipeline project in the Utica Shale region that will connect multiple production facilities in eastern Ohio to our Canton refinery and MPLX LP pipelines in the area. We are committed to positioning ourselves as the customer of choice for these opportunities to process domestic crude oil and condensate.”