TC Energy estimates US$480 million of oil spilled in December
Posted February 9, 2023 11:13 am.
Calgary-based TC Energy Corp. says an estimated US$480 million of oil spilled in Kansas, U.S., in December.
In a news release Thursday, the company says 12,937 barrels were lost after an initial estimate of 14,000 barrels.
It happened on Dec. 7 when a pipe leaked into a creek in Washington County, Kansas.
The company says it is working with its insurers to “maximize cost recoveries.”
“This estimate may be adjusted as we continue to progress work on site,” the news release reads.
The root cause was a result of a “combination of factors,” which included bending stress on a failed pipe and a welding flaw.
TC Energy says the flaw turned into a crack, causing bending stress fatigue, which led to an “instantaneous rupture.”
“The cause of the bending stress remains under investigation as part of the broader third-party root cause failure analysis,” it said.
According to the oil giant, an analysis of the metal found no issues with the strength of the material properties of the pipe or the manufactured fitting of the pipe.
“The pipeline was operating within its operational design and within the pipeline design maximum operating pressure,” the release reads.
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The Keystone pipeline system stretches 4,324 kilometres and helps move Canadian and U.S. crude oil to markets around North America.
A 154-km section running from just south of Steele City, Nebraska to Cushing, Oklahoma, remained shut down until the end of December.
There have been a handful of spills along the pipeline’s route in recent years, the most significant of which was in November 2017 and October 2019.
The 2017 leak saw 6,600 barrels of oil spilled in North Dakota, and the 2019 spill saw 4,500 barrels spilled in South Dakota.
In both those spills, the GOA report identified “construction issues” leading to the material failure of pipe or welding material as a leading factor.
