The electricity and gas company FortisBC is asking British Columbians to turn down their thermostats and reduce natural gas use on other appliances following Tuesday's gas line explosion near Prince George. Puget Sound Energy and Cascade Natural Gas, both U.S. energy companies, are also asking customers in Washington state to help conserve natural gas and electricity because of B.C. 's pipeline rupture and the impact it has on the U.S. gas supply. In an updated statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, FortisBC said there had so far been a reduction in natural gas use of about 20 per cent provincewide, but that further cuts are needed. "We still need more customers to reduce their natural gas usage as much as possible for now, as we continue to work with Enbridge and confirm the impact on the system," it read in part. "We recognize that in some parts of B.C. it may be impractical to turn off thermostats due to cold weather. Even turning the temperature down as much as possible and reducing hot water use and other natural gas usage will help." The Enbridge natural gas pipeline that exploded Tuesday evening is a feeder for the provincewide gas distribution system Although the fire on the pipeline has been extinguished, two Enbridge pipelines were shut off: the ruptured pipe and another one that's to be assessed for damage. Late Wednesday night, FortisBC said Enbridge was given NEB approval to restart the pipeline that was not damaged by the explosion. However, they said customers should still expect a constrained supply of natural gas. FIRE near Salmon Valley Prince George pic.twitter.com/bUnxWcyWlK —@rockybeach67 "About 70 per cent of customers could be impacted here," said Douglas Stout, vice-president of external relations with FortisBC. The company serves just over a million customers across the province, from the Lower Mainland to Northern B.C. Combined, the two pipes supply 85 per cent of all natural gas used provincewide. Although the fire on the pipeline has been extinguished, two Enbridge pipelines are being shut off: the ruptured pipe and another one that's to be assessed for damage. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC) 'Turn your thermostats down' "Anybody who consumes natural gas, we're asking you to cut back to as little as possible and help us work through this situation to everybody's benefit," Stout said. "Turn your thermostats down as low as possible, obviously that depends on the region you're in what you can do, minimize the use of hot water if you've got a gas water heater, turn off your fireplace." Due to a pipeline rupture Tuesday in B.C., Canada, we’re asking for your help conserving natural gas and electricity today. Lowering your thermostat and limiting hot water use can make a difference. Our local gas system is safe and was not damaged by the pipeline failure. —@PSETalk The pipeline is part of the T-South system, stretching over 1,000 kilometres from Chetwynd, B.C., to the U.S. border, which is why it impacts gas distribution across the province and into Washington. FortisBC has also asked industrial customers to use alternative fuel sources. Stout said that those who have the ability to do so have switched off their natural gas use for now. Canfor, a pulp mill in Prince George, has shut down two of its sawmills due to a lack of gas. The pipeline is part of the T-South system, which stretches over 1,000 kilometres from Chetwynd to the B.C.-US border, passing through several communities. (Enbridge ) No injuries in explosion The line ruptured on Lheidli T'enneh reserve land and witnesses who saw the explosion described it as an incandescent orange fireball that could be seen for kilometres. No one was injured but roughly 100 people fled their homes, including Chief Dominic Frederick. Big fire north of #Princegeorge. Smoke up to 10k feet. pic.twitter.com/mdbgjbnzvd —@gregnoel He wants answers but says he doesn't expect his nation's relationship with the company to change as a result. "We're not going to move away because of one explosion," Frederick said. "We've lived there for most of our lives, since the pipelines were built, and we never had any concerns with the pipeline until now." Investigation underway The Transportation Safety Board is responsible for the investigation into the incident and the National Energy Board has sent four specialists to the scene. The B.C. Oil and Gas Commission and the B.C. Ministry of Environment, among others, are also looking into the incident. "A cause will be determined following an investigation of this event," said Enbridge spokesperson Michael Barnes. . "Safety is always our top focus and top priority." The company is working with nearby communities to maintain public safety, he said, but he cannot speculate about how long it will take to resolve the situation. #NEB inspectors have been deployed to the area to monitor and oversee the company’s response and to determine the impact and extent of the release. No injuries have been reported. More information to be provided as available. —@NEBCanada "The most significant impact right now is what we are doing in terms of precautions," said B.C. Minister of Energy Michelle Mungall. "We don't know what caused this explosion yet but once we do know, no doubt there will be some lessons to be learned and we will be implementing those as regulators." With files from Yvette Brend, Andrew Kurjata and The Early Edition.<doc-sep>Share this Story: B.C. pipeline rupture causes natural gas shortage, soaring gasoline prices B.C. pipeline rupture causes natural gas shortage, soaring gasoline prices British Columbians should brace for possible loss of natural gas service and soaring gasoline prices after an Enbridge natural gas line ruptured north of Prince George. Photo by Greg N/@gregnoel / Twitter Article content British Columbians should brace for possible loss of natural gas service and soaring gasoline prices after an Enbridge natural gas line ruptured north of Prince George. Natural gas supplier FortisBC has asked one million customers to lower their thermostats and limit other gas use as much as possible while the damage is repaired. About 700,000 homes in northern B.C., the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island could temporarily lose gas service altogether. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or B.C. pipeline rupture causes natural gas shortage, soaring gasoline prices Back to video The pain will extend to the gasoline pumps as well, with prices expected to break $1.60 a litre by Friday and $1.65 by Saturday in Metro Vancouver. Stephanie Valois of Quesnel is concerned that pipes could freeze and burst if cold sets in before gas service is fully restored, but she’s even more concerned about her neighbours. “I’m worried for all the people that are going to freeze if gas service stops,” she said. “Not everyone has a fireplace or electric heaters.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Temperatures were predicted to hit -3°C in Quesnel overnight. Photo by handout / PNG Her four kids are away this week, so Valois has shut all the bedroom doors, turned the thermostat down and pulled out an oil heater to make up the difference. When the kids come back, they will need an electric heater for every room. “It’s (2°C) right now so it’s not too bad, but it’s going to get colder,” she said. “I can’t imagine how people farther north will be able to cut back.” Raelene Belcher will fire up the electric fireplace and turn down her thermostat, but it’s too cold to shut down her gas furnace. Overnight temperatures in Chetwynd have already hit -5°C this fall. “I have two young boys that I won’t let get too cold,” she said. “I’ll shower my kids every second day for now and myself, too, but my husband has to shower every day as he is a welder and gets pretty dirty at work.” If the gas runs out completely, things may get chilly with no heat or hot water. “We don’t have a real wood stove, so we would have to pack up and go to a friend’s place or buy some more electric heaters I guess,” she said. “It’s too cold here to be turning off anything.” FortisBC is working to bring in more gas from Alberta through the TransCanada gas line. Doug Stout, FortisBC’s vice-president of external relations, said Wednesday that 85 per cent of the gas his company feeds to homes and businesses is carried by the twinned pipeline that runs from northern B.C. to the United States border south of Vancouver. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The wholesale price of gasoline surged on the Pacific Northwest commodity market on news that Royal Dutch Shell and Phillips 66 were shutting down gasoline refinery units in Washington State after losing their supply of natural gas. Natural gas is used to power the refining process. The Enbridge pipeline supplies about half the natural gas used in Washington State, Oregon and Idaho. The Parkland gasoline refinery in Burnaby has “curtailed” operations, but has not yet shut down any process units, according to company spokesman Kel Coulson. Photo by Greg N/@gregnoel / Twitter Parkland supplies about 25 per cent of the Lower Mainland’s gasoline and as much as a third comes from Washington refineries, said analyst Dan McTeague of Gas Buddy. “Curtailed production inevitably leads to higher prices at the pump,” he said. “By Friday you will see prices up to $1.61.9 a litre.” Wholesale gasoline shot up 9.3 cents US a gallon by the end of trading Wednesday and another 13 cents in after-hours trading, he said. “That’s another four cents a litre to us.” “Hang on to your hats, unless something changes in the next couple of days, we could see prices hit $1.65.9 a litre on Saturday,” he said. Near Prince George, one of the two Enbridge lines ruptured and exploded but the second line is also shut while it’s being checked for damage, said Stout, prompting Fortis to warn of “decreased energy flow and potential loss of service.” Stout urged another 300,000 customers in the Okanagan and southeastern B.C., to conserve even though their natural gas comes from Alberta. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “We are asking them to cut back, too, because we can flow some of that gas past them and down here to the Lower Mainland. So we are asking everybody to chip in,” said Stout. Fortis has reserves still in the pipeline south of Prince George, in its liquefied natural gas storage tanks in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island, and there is some gas flowing from Alberta through a pipeline in southern B.C., Stout said. Photo by City of Prince George No one was hurt when the fireball lit up the sky near the community of Shelley, and forced about 100 members of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation from their homes. An evacuation order had been downgraded Wednesday to the handful of homes near the explosion site. Witness Terry Teegee said the blast shook the area at about 5:30 p.m. “We thought it might have been a train crash or a low-flying jet,” he said. Zachary Semotiuk said he saw a “huge flash,” followed by a “raging fire,” that was easily visible above the treeline from several kilometres away. Chief Dominic Frederick with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation said Enbridge contacted him shortly after the blast. “They had told me there was a gas building up in the underground. For some reason or another the gas had stopped flowing and it built up and it just exploded,” Frederick said. The Enbridge website describes its nearly 2,900 kilometre natural gas pipeline as capable of “transporting approximately 55 per cent of the gas produced in the province,” and “the backbone of B.C.’s natural gas industry since 1957.” The problems could also affect supply to homes in Washington state. The damaged Enbridge pipeline connects to the Northwest Pipeline system which feeds Puget Sound Energy in Washington State and Northwest Natural Gas in Portland. Puget Sound Energy had already issued a notice on social media urging its 750,000 natural gas customers to lower their thermostats and limit hot water use at least through Wednesday, a warning FortisBC’s Stout seconded. “There is a potential impact on Seattle and north of Seattle,” he said. With files from Bloomberg, Canadian Press and CKPG. Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vancouver Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Vancouver Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>A natural gas explosion that shut down two pipelines and forced evacuations in northern B.C. is not criminal, the RCMP has found. A statement said the investigation into Tuesday's explosion northeast of Prince George has been turned over to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB). The 36-inch Enbridge line exploded in Shelley, B.C., at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. A second, smaller line was shut down as a precaution but has since reopened at 80 per cent capacity. . @Enbridge has received approval to restart its 30-inch natural gas line. However, gas supply will continue to be constrained and we are asking our customers to help conserve. Learn more. https://t.co/SV1ZTmI2bk —@FortisBC A bright, orange fireball from the explosion could be seen for kilometres and homes within the vicinity were evacuated as a precaution. Residents, who said the explosion sounded like thunder, were allowed to return about two hours later. RCMP, Enbridge, and the National Energy Board will continue to help the TSB with its investigation. Investigators are still searching for a cause of the blast. Supply still limited FortisBC, the company that depends on the Enbridge line for about 85 per cent of the gas it delivers to its one million customers, has asked British Columbians to avoid any "non-essential" natural gas use in light of the explosion. A statement said supply across the province will continue to be limited as the larger, damaged pipeline is still being repaired. Residents can conserve gas by turning down their thermostats, turning off fireplaces and reducing use of gas-powered hot water and cooking appliances. Doug Stout, vice-president of market development with FortisBC, said the Lower Mainland could see a four to eight-cent jump in gas prices as a result of the possible shortage. Operations across several industries have been shut down to conserve energy: Canfor, a forest products company, has temporarily closed two of its operations in Prince George. Lantic Inc., a sugar refinery with operations in Vancouver, has been asked to cease operations. RCMP said there was no damage to anything other than the pipeline and no one was injured. With files from Yvette Brend, Wil Fundal, Andrew Kurjata and Lien Yeung Read more from CBC British Columbia<doc-sep>
PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. -- The company that distributes natural gas to homes around British Columbia is urging its customers to conserve after an explosion and fire on the pipeline that supplies most of the natural gas handled by Fortis B.C. The blast Tuesday shut down the Enbridge natural gas pipeline about 15 kilometres northeast of Prince George. Doug Stout, Fortis BC vice-president of external relations, said Wednesday that 85 per cent of the gas his company feeds to homes and businesses is carried by the twinned pipeline that runs from northern B.C. to the United States border south of Vancouver. One of the two lines ruptured and exploded but the second line is also shut while it's being checked for damage, said Stout, prompting Fortis to warn of "decreased energy flow and potential loss of service." "Turn down your thermostat if you are in a cold spot. Turn off your furnace if you can, if you are in Vancouver or a situation where you can do that. Minimize the use of hot water if you have a natural gas hot water tank ... so we preserve the gas we have for as long as possible," said Stout. As many as 700,000 customers in northern B.C., the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island could be directly affected by a shortage, he said. Stout urged another 300,000 customers in the Okanagan and southeastern B.C., to conserve even though their natural gas comes from Alberta. "We are asking them to cut back, too, because we can flow some of that gas past them and down here to the Lower Mainland. So we are asking everybody to chip in," said Stout. The problems have the potential to flow south of the border. The damaged Enbridge pipeline connects to the Northwest Pipeline system which feeds Puget Sound Energy in Washington State and Northwest Natural Gas in Portland. Puget Sound Energy had already issued a notice on social media urging its 750,000 natural gas customers to lower their thermostats and limit hot water use at least through Wednesday, a warning Stout seconded. "There is a potential impact on Seattle and north of Seattle," he said. Currently Fortis has reserves still in the pipeline south of Prince George, in its liquefied natural gas storage tanks in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island, and there is some gas flowing from Alberta through a pipeline in southern B.C., Stout said. Fortis expected to receive updates on the situation as Transportation Safety Board investigators and National Energy Board inspectors arrived to assess the damage and attempt to determine a cause. The company will update its customers as soon as it is in a position to offer something new, said Stout. No one was hurt when the fireball lit up the sky near the community of Shelley, and forced about 100 members of the nearby Lheidli T'enneh First Nation from their homes. An evacuation order had been downgraded Wednesday to the handful of homes near the explosion site. Witness Terry Teegee said the blast shook the area at about 5:30 p.m. "We thought it might have been a train crash or a low-flying jet," he said. Zachary Semotiuk said he saw a "huge flash," followed by a "raging fire," that was easily visible above the treeline from several kilometres away. Chief Dominic Frederick with the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation said Enbridge contacted him shortly after the blast. "They had told me there was a gas building up in the underground. For some reason or another the gas had stopped flowing and it built up and it just exploded," Frederick said. The Enbridge website describes its nearly 2,900 kilometre natural gas pipeline as capable of "transporting approximately 55 per cent of the gas produced in the province," and "the backbone of B.C. 's natural gas industry since 1957." FIRE near Salmon Valley Prince George pic.twitter.com/bUnxWcyWlK — Rockybeach (@rockybeach67) October 10, 2018