A pipeline failure has spilled millions of liters of emulsion from a Nexen Energy pipeline near its Long Lake oil sands facility south of Fort McMurray.
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Ron Bailey, the company’s senior vice-president of Canadian operations, says it doesn’t yet know what caused the leak in the pipeline, which was built a year ago, but it is investigating.
The worst-ever pipeline accident in Canada occurred in December 1980 near the province’s mid-west town of Valleyview, when 54,000 barrels of oil were spilled. The 5 million litres of emulsion is a mixture of bitumen, produced water and sand.
The pipeline and pad site have been isolated to contain the release, which hasn’t affected any bodies of water.
The wholly owned subsidiary of CNOOC Ltd said it detected the spill at its Long Lake facility on Wednesday afternoon.
Nexen says the site is under control but the emulsion has apparently spilled into some muskeg.
No reports of any effect on the wildlife have been reported. “We need to stop new pipeline projects before they’re built and focus on building renewable sources of energy that are sustainable and won’t threaten communities, our environment, and the planet”.
There have been no injuries reported because of the incident and an investigation into the spill has been launched. Numerous accidents are the result of the increasing supply and demand for oil transport through pipelines that are now used at full capacity unceasingly to keep pace with production. Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) spokesman Peter Murchland said on Thursday the spill has been contained and that cleanup is under way.
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In terms of volume, the incident is one of the largest environmental spills on land in North American history, greater than the estimated 20,082 barrels of crude oil released in Michigan from Enbridge Inc.’s Line 6B rupture in July 2010, according to Reuters.
