The company has initiated an emergency shutdown of the pipeline, after safety alarms detected a pressure drop in the system, and isolated the affected segment to control downstream migration of the leak
TC Energy shuts Keystone pipeline. (Credit: Mike Benna on Unsplash)
Canada-based midstream company TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) has announced the shut-down of the Keystone Pipeline System, after 14,000 barrels of crude oil leaked into a creek in Washington County, Kansas.
The company has started an emergency shutdown of the pipeline after safety alarms detected a pressure drop in the system.
The affected segment has been isolated, and the personnel and equipment have been deployed to control downstream migration of the release, said TC Energy.
According to the company’s statement, the system will remain shut down as the crew is actively engaged in work to contain and recover the oil.
TC Energy in its statement said: “Our primary focus right now is the health and safety of onsite staff and personnel, the surrounding community, and mitigating risk to the environment.
“We immediately activated our emergency response procedures and we have established environmental monitoring, including around-the-clock air monitoring.”
The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system between Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010.
Owned by TC Energy, the Keystone pipeline runs 4,324km, from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta to refineries in Illinois and Texas.
The crude oil leaks from Keystone are considered problematic, as the pipeline carries tar sands substances, which are harder to clean up when spilled.
PHMSA, the US government agency responsible for enforcing safety regulations for pipelines, stated that the leak is located near the Kansas border with Nebraska.
The agency is continuing to investigate the cause of the leak and has announced no timetable for restarting the Keystone Pipeline.
In 2016, TransCanada shut down a part of the Keystone pipeline after the leakage was identified in South Dakota.