NorthAmOil: TC Energy restarts sections of Keystone pipeline following spill

TC Energy has restarted operations in sections of the Keystone pipeline unaffected by the spill of 14,000 barrels in rural northern Kansas. The Canadian company said that it had told regulators and customers of its plan.

The section of the pipeline where the spill happened remains sealed off.

 Keystone transports 622,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil from the oil sands of Alberta to US refineries.

“Today we restarted a section of the Keystone Pipeline, facilitating the safe transportation of energy that North Americans rely on,” tweeted TC Energy on December 14. “The affected segment of the pipeline remains isolated as investigation and recovery continue.”

Keystone had been closed on December 7. The oil leaked into Mill Creek and onto nearby fields in Washington County.

It is the worst spill ever on the pipeline and the worst in the US in 10 years. The amount spilled is about an Olympic-sized swimming pool’s worth.

In an update on December 15, TC Energy said that it had restarted the Keystone section that extends from Hardisty, Alberta to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois. As of the end of the afternoon on December 14, TC Energy had recovered 3,035 barrels of oil from the creek (5,567 barrels of oil and water).

“The affected segment of the Keystone Pipeline System remains safely isolated as investigation, recovery, repair and remediation continue to advance. This segment will not be restarted until it is safe to do so and when we have regulatory approval from PHMSA (the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration),” said the Canadian company.