The Keystone oil pipeline is operating again after a spill in North Dakota caused operations to pause last week.
The Keystone pipeline runs from Alberta, Canada, to Texas. The pipeline’s operator, South Bow, said Monday it would “proceed with a carefully controlled restart of the Keystone Pipeline” six days after the initial incident.
Recommended Stories
- Green banking group softens rules in bid to stem Wall Street exodus
- The fate of $20 billion in climate grants to be determined
- Planned cuts would harm Trump energy agenda, nuclear and clean energy firms warn
“South Bow has completed all repairs, inspections and testing at milepost 171 of Keystone near Fort Ransom, North Dakota. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has approved the repair and restart plans. South Bow is carefully monitoring inclement weather conditions before being able to proceed with a carefully controlled restart of the Keystone Pipeline today,” the company’s statement said.
South Bow also said it would comply with all PHMSA orders, monitor the system at all hours of the day, and reduce operating pressures.
The initial spill occurred last Tuesday when an employee working at the site near Fort Ransom, North Dakota, heard a “mechanical bang.” Within two minutes of the incident, the pipeline was shut down. The spill was contained to an agricultural field, and no people or structures were affected.
KEYSTONE PIPELINE SHUT DOWN AFTER RUPTURE
The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is investigating the incident. The PHMSA issued a corrective order to the pipeline operator and said it would remain on-site in the interim.
“The failed section of pipe was excavated and replaced and will be transported to a metallurgical lab in Houston for testing. The repaired line will be tested at various pressures to confirm its integrity. PHMSA investigators remain on site, and our investigation is ongoing. PHMSA will continue to monitor the operator’s compliance with the [Corrective Action Order],” the PHMSA said in a release Monday.