Ebel steps down as Enbridge's CEO, leaving pipeliner with $41 billion in growth projects

Enbridge Inc. said Tuesday Greg Ebel will step down as the company's top executive in December after a three-year run at the helm of the Calgary pipeline company. Ebel will be succeeded by Michele Harradence, an internal pick who came up through natural gas rather than the oil pipelines the company was built on. She starts on Jan. 1. Board chair Steve Williams credited Ebel with securing a backlog of $41 billion in growth projects, strengthening Enbridge's financial position and expanding its natural gas business with a takeover of three U.S. utilities. Ebel has worked in the energy sector for decades, including as group executive and chief financial officer of Spectra Energy, which merged with Enbridge in 2017. He joined the pipeliner as chair of the board, a role he held until 2023, when he became chief executive. Harradence is executive vice-president and president of gas distribution and storage. She joins the board the same day she starts. The board ran a multi-year succession process, according to Enbridge, which cited her work in gas distribution, gas transmission and midstream, and earlier roles in the oilsands and refining. Harradence guided the integration of three U.S. natural gas utilities Enbridge bought from Dominion Energy Inc., the American utility owner. Enbridge says those deals helped make it one of North America's largest integrated gas utility platforms, serving 7.2 million homes, schools, hospitals and businesses in Canada and the United States. She joined Enbridge in 2014 after 16 years at Shell PLC, where she ran the Sarnia manufacturing centre in Ontario. She holds a mechanical engineering degree from Queen's University and a law degree from the University of New Brunswick and chairs the Canadian Gas Association. Harradence said she is honoured by the board's trust and that Enbridge enters the handover with 'a strong financial foundation and growth opportunities across all our businesses.' gfoster@postmedia.com Bookmark our website and support our journalism:Don't miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.