Enbridge expects to complete two big U.S. natgas pipelines in 2018

Canadian energy company Enbridge Inc said Thursday it expects to complete two big U.S.natural gas pipelines on schedule this year:

* Enbridge said in an earnings release that it expects tocomplete the $2.6 billion Nexus pipeline from Ohio to Michiganlate in the third quarter and the $1.6 billion Valley Crossingpipeline from Texas to Mexico in the fourth quarter.

* The 255-mile (410-kilometer) Nexus project is designed tocarry up to 1.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of gas fromthe Marcellus and Utica shale fields in Pennsylvania, Ohio andWest Virginia to the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast and Ontario inCanada.

* One billion cubic feet is enough gas to fuel about fivemillion U.S. homes for a day.

* Enbridge said construction was underway on Nexus in Ohioand Michigan. Nexus is a 50-50 partnership between Enbridge andMichigan energy company DTE Energy Co .

* The 168-mile Valley Crossing project is designed to carryup to 2.6 bcfd of gas from Texas to Mexico to help Mexico meetits growing power needs as generators there shift away from fueloil and imported liquefied natural gas.

* Enbridge said it has substantially completed the onshorepipeline for Valley Crossing and continues to advance theoffshore portion of the project. The project runs from AguaDulce, west of Corpus Christi in Texas, south to the Mexicoborder where it meets the Mexican pipeline system offshore nearBrownsville, Texas.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by David Gregorio)