Prices at the main interior B.C. trading hub have crashed to about $1 per thousand cubic feet from around $2.60 before the incident. Article content A pipeline explosion in B.C. on Tuesday is interrupting natural gas deliveries and cutting into the cold weather price bonus Canadian gas producers had been enjoying for the past few weeks. More than 1.6 billion cubic feet per day — roughly 10 per cent of Western Canada’s daily natural gas output — was stranded when Enbridge Inc. halted transport on the 36-inch line that exploded near Prince George, B.C., and on its neighbouring 30-inch line. 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 explosion strands natural gas output, cuts into wellhead prices Back to video The National Energy Board allowed Enbridge to restart the smaller line at a lower pressure, but analysts say that still leaves between 600 million and 800 million cubic feet per day of gas without an easy path to market. “There are not a lot of other routes for gas to reach Vancouver or for export,” said Ian Archer, associate director for IHS Markit, pointing out about one billion cf/d of the normal daily payload is headed for export into Washington. “It was the mainline that went out. So I would assume this is Enbridge’s absolute No. 1 priority to get fixed.”<doc-sep>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>Open this photo in gallery A pipeline that ruptured and sparked a massive fire north of Prince George, B.C., is shown in this photo provided by Dhruv Desai. Dhruv Desai /The Canadian Press Natural gas service to much of British Columbia was being gradually restored Thursday after a pipeline explosion north of Prince George shut down a major supply artery to homes, institutions and industries. The cause of Tuesday’s explosion in the Enbridge pipeline is under investigation, with teams of investigators from the company, National Energy Board and the Transportation Safety Board at the blast site, about 15 kilometres northeast of Prince George. There were no injuries and RCMP said Thursday there are no indications the explosion was criminal in nature. Story continues below advertisement Enbridge said it received NEB approval late Wednesday to restart its 76-centimetre line, which was shut down as a precaution because it is in the same path as the pipeline that exploded and burned. The second pipeline was carefully checked before permission was received to restart it at about 80 per cent of its normal capacity, Enbridge said in a statement. Gasoline prices jumped Thursday and were expected to continue to rise as oil refineries in Washington state started to shut down operations. The refineries are largely fuelled by natural gas from the B.C. pipeline. The natural gas supply disruption saw major industries and institutions switch energy sources, reduce operations or shut down temporarily. Tolko Industries Ltd. closed its Heffley Creek plywood plant near Kamloops and reduced operations at sawmills in the Cariboo at Quesnel and Soda Creek. The B.C. Institute of Technology said in a tweet that heat is off on the north side of its Burnaby campus until further notice, while the University of B.C. told researchers and other non-essential users to immediately stop using natural gas. “When the system is stable, we’ll work to return our customers who have curtailed their gas use back on line,” said Doug Stout, FortisBC vice-president of external relations in a statement. “Until this is complete, we ask our customers to please continue avoiding non-essential use of gas until the situation is completely resolved.” Story continues below advertisement He said 85 per cent of the gas FortisBC feeds to about one million B.C. customers is carried by the twinned Enbridge pipeline that runs from northern B.C. to the United States border south of Vancouver. About 750,000 natural gas customers in the northwest U.S. are also impacted by the explosion. Dan McTeague, a senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, said he expected gasoline prices in the Vancouver area to hit highs of $1.65 per litre if the supply issue persists. “Basically, don’t panic,” he said in an interview. “Once an announcement is made that somehow this is repaired or that the refineries are not affected or that this may have just been a temporary situation then we are likely to see prices drop.” Iain Colquhoun, the National Energy Board’s chief engineer, said it has six investigators at the blast site. He said it’s still too early to determine a cause of the explosion. The pipeline was buried 1.7 metres below the ground, said Colquhoun. It was installed in 1972 and the smaller pipeline, which is back in operation on a reduced basis dates back to 1957. Story continues below advertisement Colquhoun said Enbridge records indicate the last inspection on the pipeline was conducted by the company last year. “To the best of our knowledge and from what we can see ... there were no worrisome anomalies in the line,” he said in a telephone interview from Calgary. “We’ll know better when we look at it ourselves.” Colquhoun said he expected a detailed metallurgical analysis of the fractured pipe could take one month at the earliest. He said the blast left a crater and a burn area of about 400 metres. “It’s a rough estimate but I would say 400 metres would be the edge of where anything would be burned,” said Colquhoun. “The crater is quite small, I would say four, five metres across.” About 100 people living within one kilometre of the explosion area on the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation reserve were evacuated Tuesday night after the explosion and fire. Story continues below advertisement Terry Teegee, B.C.’s Assembly of First Nation’s regional chief, lives on the reserve and said he saw a 60-metre high fireball and was pelted by debris from the blast.<doc-sep>UBC and BCIT are taking measures to conserve natural gas because of a potential shortage. Article content Mounties in Prince George say the natural gas pipeline explosion in northern B.C. late Tuesday wasn’t criminal. The RCMP said in a news release Thursday that after reviewing known information by all stakeholders, there are “no indications that the explosion was criminal in nature.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Pipeline explosion in Northern B.C. not criminal: RCMP Back to video The investigation has now been turned over to the Transportation Safety Board, the National Energy Board and Enbridge. Meantime, the University of B.C. on Wednesday issued an “urgent community alert” asking the community to curtail non-essential use of natural gas after the pipeline rupture and fire in northern B.C.<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