TC Energy Is Looking for Other Potential Oil Leaks, But Not in Nebraska

By Gordon HopkinsWith the official cause of the Keystone Pipeline failure now released, TC Energy, the company formerly known as TransCanada, has announced intentions to excavate and investigate other sections of the pipeline with similar characteristics to pro-actively prevent any future oil leaks.As of now, that does not include any locations in Nebraska, but TC Energy says that could change.On Friday, April 21, 2023, TC Energy released a statement identifying the root cause of a pipeline failure that led to an estimated 12,937 barrels of crude oil being dumped into Mill Creek, three miles east of Washington, Kansas, and approximately 20 miles south of Steele City, on December 7, 2022.“The primary cause of the rupture was a progressive fatigue crack that originated at a girth weld connecting a manufactured elbow fitting to the pipe constructed across Mill Creek. This girth weld transitioned the pipe wall thickness from the elbow fitting to the adjacent piping and was completed at a fabrication facility. The RCFA (Root Cause Failure Analysis) confirmed the welding workmanship was compliant with applicable codes and standards,” the statement said. “During construction, the pipe segment was subject to inadvertent bending stresses sufficient to initiate a crack at a shallow lack of fusion feature in the girth weld. Bending stresses during construction also led to a deformation in the elbow fitting and a wrinkle in the adjacent piping. Further, the design of the weld transition created a stress concentration point, making the pipe at this location more susceptible to bending stresses. This resulted in the initiation of a circumferential crack in the weld, which led to failure through operations after over a decade.”The full analysis was not released to the public.The statement also indicated, “Excavations to investigate other sites with characteristics like the incident location sites based on the findings of the RCFA and our remedial work plan.”FJN reached out to TC Energy and asked if this included any sites in Nebraska. A representative for TC Energy responded, “We are in the process of implementing a comprehensive plan to enhance our pipeline integrity program and overall safety performance across our footprint. As part of this, we are progressing excavations to investigate other sites with characteristics like the incident location sites based on the findings of the root cause failure analysis and our remedial work plan. Additionally, we are conducting in-line inspections as part of our system-wide response to the incident. We currently do not have any digs planned in Nebraska; however, our plan may evolve based on data collected. We have taken steps to ensure the system is safe and reliable while this work is performed, including operating the system at reduced pressure.”

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