By: BNN Bloomberg – TC Energy Corp. has shut down the Keystone Pipeline as it responds to an oil spill in a Nebraska creek.
The Calgary-based company said the shutdown happened at 8 p.m. on Wednesday after a pressure drop was detected in the system.
TC Energy said crews were immediately notified and are currently working to contain the leaked oil that was found 32 kilometers south of Steele City, Neb.
The company said it isolated the affected segment of the pipeline and deployed booms to control the movement of the oil. A news release about the incident did not specify the quantity of leaked oil, but an investigation is expected to provide more clarity.
Customers and regulators are being notified as the company responds to the incident.
“Our primary focus right now is the health and safety of onsite staff and personnel, the surrounding community, and mitigating risk to the environment through the deployment of booms downstream as we work to contain and prevent further migration of the release,” TC Energy said in a statement.
The 4,324 km pipeline system has been a hot topic of conversation in the energy industry as blocking the pipeline was one of the first Presidential actions taken by Joe Biden as he took over the White House. The Keystone pipeline carries crude oil supplies through Canada and the U.S. It runs through Alberta and Manitoba on the Canadian side and through North Dakota and South Dakota into Nebraska in the U.S. In Steele City, the pipeline route splits to carry oil to Illinois and Texas.
The pipeline has the capacity to transport more than 600,000 barrels of oil per day.
Oil prices rose on Thursday after news of the Keystone shutdown raised prospects for oil demand.
