PIPELINES

Pipeline projects began in 1853 in Canada. It comprises 25km of cast iron pipe moving natural gas to its destination. Canada had its first-ever famous pipeline in 1862; the pipeline connected the Petrolia oilfield to Sarnia.

There were three Canadian crude oil pipelines by 1947. One pipeline was situated in Alberta that transported the oil from Turner Valley to Calgary. The other pipeline transported the crude oil from Coastal Maine to Montreal. The third pipeline helped transport the mid-continent oil into Ontario. It all leads up to the construction of the biggest pipeline system.

CER which is an abbreviation for the Canada Energy Regulator has been regulating provincial and international pipelines since the year 1959. There have been many changes and development since then. The most important element for Canadians is environmental safety and security.

Pipelines are a system of connected pipes that are used for the transportation of liquids and gases like oil and natural gas. It helps for transporting long distances from production to the market. There is approximately 840000 km pipeline that is used throughout the country.

The oil and gas sector hires around 740000 people directly or indirectly. This particular sector will make an average of 20 billion in form of royalties, fees, and other taxes every year for the government.

Pipelines help to transport fossil fuels, and research shows that they significantly contribute to climate change. Many environmentalists, groups, and labor unions have turned against these pipeline projects due to the high risk of contamination of local waterways.

Enniskillen Township situated near Sarnia, Ontario is the place where the discovery of fossil fuel began. A century after its discovery, the pipeline construction process became slow and today they have only 3 major routes in production.

MAIN FEATURES

The main type or feature of oil and natural gas pipelines can be divided into two types, both based on the type of fluid they transport. These types are called:

  • Liquid petroleum pipelines
  • Natural gas pipelines
pipeline type

ADVANTAGES

Key advantages of pipeline projects and their impact on the economy, environment, and society as a whole:

  • Pipelines enable the delivery of crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products to the domestic markets for people throughout Canada. It makes the oil and gas resource easily accessible.
  • Pipelines allow the industry to transport large capacities of oil to their desired destination. The increased capacity of transportation increases efficiency.
  • Pipelines are important to transport fuel to homes to heat them, for driving their cars, or for traveling by bus, train, or by air. The majority of homes in Canada are mostly heated with natural gas, all transported by pipelines.
  • Pipeline projects eliminate the explosion risks and work to keep the industry and the people safe from any hazardous incident.
  • Gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel are some primary fuels that are used to fuel cars, buses, trains, boats, and airplanes.
  • It reduces transportation costs as pipeline projects enable to bridge the longest distances. It also increases efficiency and has low energy use.
  • Pipeline projects are always environmentally friendly. As it allows you to safely transport the oil and gas resources to their destination. Oil transport pipelines have a less damaging effect on the environment as compared to other forms of conveyance as they are sealed. This enables them to eliminate their carbon footprint.
  • Pipeline construction is a lot quicker as large-capacity pipes can be constructed.

SAFETY OF PIPELINES

Pipeline companies need to follow a lot of rules and regulations to comply with specific standards. The Canadian Energy Regulator (CER) requires pipeline companies to create a complete and transparent management system. They also need to conduct protection programs that help to anticipate, prevent, manage and eliminate the potentially dangerous situations associated with their pipelines.

Safety and emergency response protection programs are needed by pipeline companies. These programs must be based on their infrastructure that manages and eliminates any risks associated with the condition of the people and the environment.

All these programs are inspected and supervised by the CER. They review it to check if there is any kind of non-compliance. So the CER can take necessary measures to protect the climate and the public.

CER is well equipped with the tools that can help them to enforce compliance. They can easily impose the rules and can also issue top-work orders in case of any issues. CER can also conduct criminal prosecution again somebody going against their regulation. Administrative monetary penalties are also issued by the CER.

These penalties range from $25000 in the case of individuals and $100000 in the case of companies.

Pipeline safety

REGULATIONS

The pipelines are regulated based on the locations or their jurisdiction in Canada. CER being the independent agency that regulates the pipelines. It includes 73000 km of provincial and international pipeline within Canada. It regulates 100 pipeline companies in Canada. It needs permission from the federal or provincial regulator relevant to it.

The CER may consider information related to:

  • Engineering
  • Matters of Environmental and socioeconomic
  • Financial matters
  • Land matters; and
  • Any public interest that by granting or refusing the application.

ABANDONED

If a pipeline is abandoned, it means that it is no longer in use and is no longer being maintained. There are several potential consequences of an abandoned pipeline, including:

  • An abandoned pipeline can leak or rupture, potentially releasing harmful chemicals or pollutants into the surrounding environment.
  • An abandoned pipeline can pose a safety risk to people and property if it is not properly decommissioned.
  • The presence of an abandoned pipeline can decrease the value of nearby properties.
  • The company that owned the pipeline may incur financial losses if they are unable to recoup the costs of decommissioning the pipeline or if they are held liable for any damage caused by the pipeline.
  • There may be legal and regulatory requirements that must be met when decommissioning a pipeline, failure to do so may result in penalties and fines.

In Canada, the abandonment and decommissioning of pipelines is regulated by the National Energy Board (NEB) and the Canadian Energy Regulator (CER). According to the regulations, when a pipeline is abandoned, the business that maintains the pipeline is responsible for ensuring that the pipeline is decommissioned and abandoned safely and in an environmentally responsible manner. The company is also liable for ensuring that the pipeline does not present any safety hazards and that any potential environmental impacts are reduced.

The special steps for decommissioning and abandoning a pipeline in Canada may include:

  • The pipeline is cleaned and emptied of any product before it is decommissioned.
  • The pipeline is isolated by closing valves and installing blind flanges to prevent the release of any product.
  • Any leftover product in the pipeline is purged, and the pipeline is vented to remove any residual pressure.Depending on the condition of the pipeline, it may be removed or left in place and abandoned.
  • The area surrounding the pipeline is restored to its original condition as much as possible.
  • The company must monitor the pipeline after it is decommissioned and submit regular reports to the NEB or CER.
  • The company must present a decommissioning plan to the NEB or CER for evaluation and approval before continuing with any decommissioning activities. This plan should include aspects of the decommissioning process, estimated costs, and a plan for site restoration.

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abandoned pipeline

IMPACT

Pipeline projects in Canada have a significant impact on the country’s economy and energy infrastructure.