The restart of the Trans Mountain pipeline, closed as a precaution following flooding in British Columbia, is expected to take place on Monday.
The crown corporation says it has completed a detailed integrity review of the 1,150 km pipeline that transports 300,000 barrels per day of petroleum products from Alberta to British Columbia. It also carried out a geotechnical examination of the sectors where the pipeline is located before approving its restart.
The pipeline had been closed since November 14, the longest idle period in its existence.
The operation is expected to take place on Monday, but the company will have to obtain authorization from the Canada Energy Regulator. The facilities will be monitored by an emergency management team set up in hot spots to check for any releases.
The restart required “considerable sustained effort” to restore access lost due to damaged roads, changes in river flow and extreme weather conditions.
According to Trans Mountain, the pipeline remained “in a safe static state and no product leakage or serious damage to the pipe was detected.”
Over the next few weeks, some additional emergency work, such as shoreline shielding and the addition of plant cover, will be launched.
Trans Mountain is the only pipeline that transports both crude oil and refined products.
The government of British Columbia had asked its people to limit themselves to 30 liters of gasoline for each visit to a gas station.