Report finds pipeline incidents are down 40% over the last decade in Alberta despite more pipeline in service

Too often the only time news about pipelines hits the headlines is when there is an incident. Often times these incidents involve no more than a few barrels of fluid but even that tends to make the news. In fact, a study that we came across from the AER found that 65% of pipeline incidents involve no release of fluids or a release of 1 cubic metre or less.

See the full Pipeline Performance Report by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) here.

Some of the highlights from the AER’s Pipeline Performance Report in regards to 2022 include:

• The number of pipeline incidents in Alberta decreased from 344 in 2021 to 325 in 2022, a 5.5% decrease.
• About 88% of incidents were rated as “low consequence,” 10% as “medium consequence,” and only 2% as “high consequence.”
• The number of pipeline incidents rated as a high consequence dropped by 27%, decreasing from 11 incidents in 2021 to 8 in 2022.
• About 65% of pipeline incidents involved no release of fluids or releases of one cubic metre (m³) (about six barrels) or less.