WITH GREAT SADNESS, Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge has reported that two of its employees perished yesterday following an explosion and fire on an Enbridge Energy Partners’ crude oil pipeline approximately 5km SE of its Clearbrook, Minnesota, terminal in the US . The explosion occurred at approximately 21.5 GMT. All the company’s pipelines in the vicinity – known as Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 – were immediately shut down and isolated, and Enbridge emergency crews were dispatched to the site. The company immediately notified, and is now working with, the appropriate authorities and emergency officials. The cause of the explosion has not been determined. It is understood that the leak and explosion occurred on the No.3 pipeline, which was undergoing maintenance. The No.1 and No.2 pipelines have now reopened, although there is no current estimate on the restart of the other two affected pipelines.
The Canadian company operates, in Canada and the United States, the world's longest crude oil and liquids pipeline system. Enbridge also has international operations and a growing involvement in the natural gas transmission and midstream businesses. As a distributor of energy, Enbridge owns and operates Canada's largest natural gas distribution company, which provides distribution services in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and in New York State; and is developing a gas distribution system for the Province of New Brunswick. The pipelines that are affected deliver about 15% of the US crude imports, and supply refineries including BP's plant in Whiting, Indiana, and plants along the Gulf Coast.
Following the explosion, the financial news service Bloomberg reported that the price of crude oil rose more than $4/brl.
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