CALGARY, Jan. 25, 2014 /CNW/ – The National Energy Board (NEB or the Board) is responding to a pipeline incident that took place in an isolated area near the town of Otterburne, approximately 25 kilometres south of Winnipeg, Manitoba, on a sweet natural gas pipeline owned and operated by TransCanada Pipeline Inc. (TCPL). The pipeline break and resulting fire, which were reported to the NEB shortly after 3 am (MST) this morning, did not cause any harm to local residents, but as a precaution one home in proximity to the area was evacuated.
The incident triggered emergency measures that included isolating Line 1 and depressurizing the pipeline in order to contain the fire and avoid further damage. The line is shut down, it continues to depressurize and the fire is expected to be extinguished sometime Saturday morning.
The NEB’s Emergency Response Team has been deployed and will be onsite to monitor and assess the company’s immediate response. Representatives from TCPL are on the ground securing and assessing the incident site. The local fire department and Hydro Manitoba personnel are also onsite to lend their support.
In an emergency, the Board works with federal, provincial and local partners to coordinate the regulatory response. The NEB’s priority in any emergency is to make sure that people are safe and the environment is protected. The NEB will be working with the Transportation Safety Board in assessing the cause of the incident.
The Board is not expecting any lasting environmental effects as a result of this incident.
The National Energy Board holds regulated companies fully responsible and accountable for responding in a manner that protects the public, property and the environment. This includes clean-up and site remediation. The Board’s long-term goal with any incident is the full restoration and re-vegetation of the site including any potential effects on sub-surface groundwater. We do not relax our expectations of a company, or our response, regardless of the size of the incident.
The National Energy Board is an independent federal regulator of several parts of Canada’s energy industry with the safety of Canadians and protection of the environment as its top priority. Its purpose is to regulate pipelines, energy development and trade in the Canadian public interest. For more information on the NEB and its mandate, please visit www.neb-one.gc.ca.
This news release is available on the NEB’s Internet site at www.neb-one.gc.ca under What’s New!
SOURCE Government of Canada
For further information:
Carole Léger-Kubeczek
Communications Advisor
E-mail: carole.leger-kubeczek@neb-one.gc.ca
Phone: 403-850-8867