British Columbia: Trans Mountain pipeline to resume Sunday

The Trans Mountain pipeline will resume operations Sunday after being closed in mid-November due to bad weather in British Columbia.

Trans Mountain said in a statement Saturday that the line typically carries 300,000 barrels of oil between Alberta and Burnaby, and has remained “in a stable and safe condition and no product leaks or serious damage to the line have been detected.”

The pipeline closure prompted the government to ration petrol in the areas worst affected by the floods, to a maximum of 30 liters per tank of petrol, to ensure we did not run out of fuel to provide essential services. This measure was to remain in effect until at least December 14.

“Significant and sustained efforts have been made to reopen the pipeline to restore access lost due to damaged roads, changes in river flow and bad weather. Crews worked around the clock to clear roads, build bridges and control waterways for pipeline access and repair.”

However, the pipeline’s return to service remains subject to approval by Energy Regulatory Canada. The company said emergency response teams and equipment remain in place in critical areas, and dams are proactively deployed in the event of any unlikely release event.

Additional work, such as additional preventive pipeline inspections, shoreline protection, adding vegetation or relocating sections, will be carried out over the coming weeks.