Federal regulators have ordered the Keystone pipe operator to take several corrective actions after a breakup earlier this week caused more than 556,000 liters of oil to spill in cultivation lands in North Dakota.
The pipe operator, South Bow, based in Calgary, said that his goal is to resume deliveries to the refineries in the next few days.
The Safety Administration of Pipas Materials and Hazardous Materials (PHMSA) ordered South Bow to present the failed section of the pipe to a third -party laboratory for mechanical and metallurgical tests, the agency said in a statement on Friday.
The company must also perform and present a root cause analysis of the fault on Tuesday and review all online inspection reports of the last 10 years to identify anomalies that may be present in the failed pipe, adjacent joints or anywhere else in the system, the agency added.
“PHMSA has already assured the complete cooperation of the operator and the written commitment to take the necessary measures to repair the line and identify the cause of the failure,” said interim administrator Ben Kochman in the statement. “Multiple PHMSA researchers are on the field in North Dakota and in the installation of the operator control room in Calgary working to determine the cause of the accident.”
The order also requires an evaluation of the special permit of the pipe, which allows the line to function at higher than normal pressures, to determine if new or modified conditions are necessary.
South Bow is still investigating the cause of the spill along the Keystone pipe near Fort Ransom, ND, about 100 kilometers southwest of Fargo. The spill of the underground pipe released approximately 3,500 barrels, or 556,455 liters, of crude oil in cultivation lands.
The affected pipe segment cannot be restarted until the US agency gives permission to the operator. South Bow said on Saturday that aims to restore service and energy deliveries for Tuesday as the order.
South Bow also said that his response and recovery efforts continued. The company said its crews were preparing to repair and replace the affected section of the pipe. He also said that the teams were in the place with vacuum trucks and other cleaning equipment, and that the work would also continue during the weekend.
The company also said it would restrict operational pressures in Keystone’s Canadian sections, as agreed with Canadian energy regulators.
The pipe extends to 4,327 kilometers from Alberta to refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas. The spill has generated concerns about the impacts of a prolonged shutdown in energy prices, particularly for gasoline and diesel.
“Our main approach remains the safety of personnel on the site and mitigating the risk for the environment,” said South Bow. “We are committed to the community that surrounds Fort Ransom and we will continue cleaning activities until the site is completely remedied.”
