Alliance Pipeline restarts mainline system

Aug. 13, 2015
Alliance Pipeline LP has restored full service of its 3,848-km (2,391-mile) integrated Canadian and US natural gas transmission mainline system after an early-August release of hydrogen sulfide into the pipeline forced its complete shutdown.

Alliance Pipeline LP has restored full service of its 3,848-km (2,391-mile) integrated Canadian and US natural gas transmission mainline system after an early-August release of hydrogen sulfide into the pipeline forced its complete shutdown (OGJ Online, Aug. 12, 2015; Aug. 7, 2015).

The pipeline’s mainline system safely resumed commercial operations on Aug. 13 following receipt of natural gas linepack from shippers, which enabled the system’s controlled restart beginning on Aug. 12, Alliance said.

Mitigation measures to safely remove contaminated gas from the line, which included flaring activities at Alliance’s Alameda compressor station in Saskatchewan and at a mainline block valve upstream from the Alameda station (OGJ Online, Aug. 10, 2015) concluded on Aug. 12, according to the operator.

Alliance shut down the mainline pipeline on Aug. 7 after discovering hydrogen sulfide had entered its system following an Aug. 5 operational upset at upstream operator Keyera Corp.’s Simonette gas plant, located 57 miles southwest of Valleyview, Alta.

Seven Generations Energy Ltd. and RMP Energy Inc., both of Calgary, earlier reported all or nearly all of their production temporarily was shut in as a result of the pipeline closure.

Marty Proctor, Seven Generations president and chief operating officer, said the pipeline outage “resulted in a short-term deferral of production. We continue to expect to produce to our 2015 guidance of 55,000-60,000 boe/d.”

Seven Generations operates a liquids-rich, natural gas Kakwa River project in Alberta.