According to Keystone, the flow identified on Wednesday is “content”. This could constitute the largest oil leak in the United States since 2013.
MO12345LEMONDE with AFP
A leak on the Keystone oil pipeline, which poured up to 2.2 million liters of gross in a river in the United States, was in the process of being mastered on Friday December 9, according to the authorities American. If the estimate on the scale of the flow is confirmed, it will be the largest oil leak in the United States since 2013, according to the association Pipeline Safety Trust, which promotes the safety of the pipelines.
The Canadian company TC Energy, which operates the infrastructure, spotted the incident on Wednesday evening in Kansas and emergency stopping hydrocarbon flows in the pipe. “The affected segment remains isolated” and the flow of downstream oil “is contained,” said the company on Friday. The cause of the rupture of the pipe had not been identified immediately.
Earth dam and drain trucks
“We are monitoring and investigating the leak of the Keystone pipeline,” assured the American Minister of Transport, Pete Buttigieg, in a tweet . The agency responsible for the security of the pipelines (PHMSA) had enjoined the company on Thursday to take “all the measures necessary to protect the public, the goods and the environment of the potential dangers” linked to the flight.
According to the environmental protection agency, TC Energy has set up a ground dam approximately 6 kilometers downstream from the incident “to prevent any additional oil flow”. The group also provided drain trucks and equipment intended to recover widespread oil in the water of Mill Creek. Product recovery should continue until next week. 2>
Impact on the price of oil 2>
The Keystone pipeline allows the transport of hydrocarbons from the province of Alberta, in western Canada, towards several destinations in the United States. Normally, its flow is around 600,000 barrels per day.
Friday, the company was still evaluating when it could restart the service, which cannot occur before the PHMSA agency gives its green light. Oil prices temporarily climbed on Thursday after the announcement of the leak before leaving in decline. The impact of the incident on the energy market will depend on the duration of the suspension of Keystone, which leads in particular from crude to the Cushing terminal, in Oklahoma, where American oil is stored as a reference to investors .