By Nia Williams
CALGARY, Alberta, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Enbridge Inc ENB.TO
shut down its 300,000 barrel per day Line 9 crude oil pipeline
on Monday after three protesters locked themselves to equipment
at a valve site in Quebec, a company spokesman said.
Enbridge spokesman Graham White said the protesters broke
into a fenced site about 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of
Montreal at around 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) by cutting the locks,
then tampered with a pipeline valve and locked themselves to the
equipment.
Enbridge shut the pipeline, which runs from Sarnia, Ontario,
to Montreal, Quebec, as a precaution and the protesters were
removed by police.
White said Enbridge expected to be able to restart the line
later on Monday and the company did not anticipate any impact on
deliveries to customers.
White did not specify the motive behind Monday's protest.
But Canadian pipeline companies have faced fierce opposition to
new projects from environmental groups and First Nations, many
of whom would like to stop Canada's vast oil reserves from being
developed.
Line 9 was recently reversed to carry Western Canadian crude
to the east coast.