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Enbridge spokesman Graham White welcomed the news but couldn’t provide a timeline for startup.

“Once Line 9 is returned to service, our goal is to operate it safely like we have done for close to 40 years,” he said in an e-mail.

“There are still some technical preparations that are required and line-fill is not an exactly timed process, so we will not speculate at this time on a specific date for return to full service.”

Line 9 is an existing 30-inch diameter pipeline with a current capacity of about 240,000 barrels per day, extending from Sarnia, Ont., to Montreal, which Enbridge has been operating since 1976. The line originally flowing eastward but was reversed in 1998 as foreign oil from areas such as West Africa and the Middle East became more affordable.

The Line 9B project will reverse the segment of Line 9 between North Westover, Ont. and Montreal, in addition to expanding the entire Line 9 capacity from Sarnia to Montreal, while revising regulations to allow transportation of heavy crude.

One of the leading beneficiaries of the reversal is Calgary-based Suncor Energy Inc., Canada’s largest oil company, which hopes to use the line to feed its Montreal refinery with oil from Western Canada.

“Clearly we’re pleased with the approval and that the pipeline will now move into operation,” said Suncor spokeswoman Sneh Seetal in an interview.

“The pipeline is critical infrastructure in terms of providing access to inland crude and providing supply options for our Montreal refinery. Those options will enhance the long-term competitiveness of the refinery.”