The National Energy Board has ordered Enbridge Pipeline Inc. to perform an engineering assessment on the Wrigley to Mackenzie section of the Norman Wells pipeline.
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NEB spokesperson Rebecca Taylor said the assessment is part of a special order issued by the board.
“The board remains concerned about the recent discoveries of small leak sites on Line 21,” she said. “That’s why the board has issued the amending order to Enbridge and required them to take additional action.”
The order requires an engineering assessment, due by June 30, and an assessment of the company’s leak detection methods, which is due on April 5. The assessment will evaluate “the fitness-for-service of the line Section from a leak-dependent perspective,” the order stated
The bigger issue is whether the leaks signify a large scale deterioration in the pipeline as a whole, which might mean having to replace segments rather than merely patch them. The article doesn't mention Enbridge's reaction to this possibility. Their past practices, however, suggest the company's most probable response.
