Tausi Insider

TC Energy TRP-T shut its Keystone pipeline in the United States after more than 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas, making it one of the largest crude spills in the United States in nearly a decade. The cause of the leak, which occurred in Kansas about 20 miles (32 km) south of a key junction in Steele City, Nebraska, is unknown. It is the third spill of several thousand barrels of crude on the pipeline since it first opened in 2010. The 622,000 barrel-per-day Keystone line is a critical artery shipping heavy Canadian crude from Alberta to refiners in the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf Coast. It is unclear how long the closure will last. There have been no effects on drinking water wells or the public, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement, though surface water of Mill Creek was affected. Kellan Ashford, spokesperson for EPA Region 7, which includes Kansas, said the cause of the leak was still unclear on Thursday evening. TC had mobilized arou...

A remediation company deploys a boom on the surface of an oil spill after a Keystone pipeline ruptured at Mill Creek in Washington County, Kansas, on Dec. 8. Kyle Bauer/The Associated Press An oil spill that shut TC Energy’s TRP-T Keystone pipeline in the United States on Wednesday could squeeze crude inventories at the country’s primary storage hub and in two main refining regions, the Midwest and Gulf Coast, analysts and traders said on Friday. The Keystone line is a key artery bringing more than 600,000 barrels of Canadian crude per day (bpd) to various parts of the United States. It was shut late Wednesday after leaking more than 14,000 barrels of oil into a creek in Kansas, making it the largest crude spill in the United States in nearly a decade. Canadian crude prices have already slumped on the news, widening on Thursday to a discount of roughly $33 per barrel to benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) – which is currently trading at about $72 a barrel – from abo...

Emergency crews after a leak at the Keystone pipeline, in Washington County, Kan., on Dec. 9. DRONE BASE/Reuters U.S. government data shows spills from TC Energy Corp.’s TRP-T Keystone pipeline have increased in severity in recent years. The Calgary-based company has more than 250 people on the ground in Washington County, Kan., cleaning up the approximately 14,000 barrels of oil that leaked into a creek last week. The spill is the largest in the history of the 4,324-km Keystone pipeline. A report last year from the U.S. Government Accountability Office said pipelines are considered to be much safer than moving oil by truck or rail, and Keystone’s safety record since 2010 is similar to that of other crude pipelines. But the report also said Keystone’s safety record in the last five years is worse than the national average. In addition to last week’s spill, the pipeline suffered leaks in 2017 and 2019. TC Energy has not yet indicated the cause of last week’s spill. The Keystone pipeli...

Emergency crews work to clean up after a leak at the Keystone pipeline, in Washington County, Kan., on Dec. 9. DRONE BASE/Reuters Six days after TC Energy’s TRP-T Keystone pipeline shut following a 14,000-barrel spill into a creek in Kansas, traders are questioning whether there is enough oil in storage in key areas if the pipeline remains closed for a number of weeks. Here is the latest data on storage inventories, and other factors affecting cash prices in Canada and the United States: Western Canadian inventories As of the week ending Dec. 2, or the week before the spill, Canadian inventories were just below 29 million barrels, according to energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, with about 16 million barrels of spare capacity available. On Tuesday, the latest data for the week ending Dec. 9 showed inventories rose 1.4 million barrels to around 30.4 million, according to a trader. Wood Mackenzie, which sends its inventory data to clients a day or two ahead of making it widely available...

Emergency crews work to clean up a spill from the Keystone pipeline, in Washington County, Kan., on Dec. 9. DRONE BASE/Reuters Cleanup of the biggest U.S. oil spill in nearly a decade will take at least weeks more, local officials in Kansas said on Tuesday, citing a recent meeting with Keystone pipeline owner TC Energy Corp TRP-T. TC closed the pipeline after the spill of roughly 14,000 barrels of crude was discovered on Wednesday in Washington County in Kansas. There is still no official timeline for a restart of the line, which will need approval from regulators. TC and county officials met briefly on Monday. “They told us they expected to be here for several more weeks,” said Randy Hubbard, Washington County’s emergency management co-ordinator. “They didn’t qualify what that is.” TC did not respond to questions, and the company and regulators have not yet identified a cause for the leak. Sabotage has been ruled out, Kansas State Representative Lisa Moser said in a post online Mond...

Crews cleanup the area near a leak in the Keystone pipeline, in Washington County, Kan., on Dec. 9. The Associated Press TC Energy Corp. TRP-T has received regulatory approval to restart the remaining segment of the Keystone pipeline that has been shut down since suffering its worst oil spill in the pipeline’s history on Dec. 7. The Calgary-based company said Friday the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has approved a restart plan for the 154-km stretch of pipeline that runs from just south of Steele City, Nebraska to Cushing, Oklahoma. The company said its restart plan will take several days and will include rigorous testing and inspections. It did not provide a date for when the entire pipeline system will be fully operational again. Immediately following the spill, which saw 14,000 barrels of oil released into a creek in Washington County, Kan., TC Energy shut down the Keystone pipeline system, which stretches 4,324 km and helps transport Canadian and U.S...

Emergency crews work to clean up after a leak at the Keystone pipeline, in Washington County, Kan., on Dec. 9. DRONE BASE/Reuters Six days after TC Energy’s TRP-T Keystone pipeline shut following a 14,000-barrel spill into a creek in Kansas, traders are questioning whether there is enough oil in storage in key areas if the pipeline remains closed for a number of weeks. Here is the latest data on storage inventories, and other factors affecting cash prices in Canada and the United States: Western Canadian inventories As of the week ending Dec. 2, or the week before the spill, Canadian inventories were just below 29 million barrels, according to energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, with about 16 million barrels of spare capacity available. On Tuesday, the latest data for the week ending Dec. 9 showed inventories rose 1.4 million barrels to around 30.4 million, according to a trader. Wood Mackenzie, which sends its inventory data to clients a day or two ahead of making it widely available...

Emergency crews work to clean up a spill from the Keystone pipeline, in Washington County, Kan., on Dec. 9. DRONE BASE/Reuters Cleanup of the biggest U.S. oil spill in nearly a decade will take at least weeks more, local officials in Kansas said on Tuesday, citing a recent meeting with Keystone pipeline owner TC Energy Corp TRP-T. TC closed the pipeline after the spill of roughly 14,000 barrels of crude was discovered on Wednesday in Washington County in Kansas. There is still no official timeline for a restart of the line, which will need approval from regulators. TC and county officials met briefly on Monday. “They told us they expected to be here for several more weeks,” said Randy Hubbard, Washington County’s emergency management co-ordinator. “They didn’t qualify what that is.” TC did not respond to questions, and the company and regulators have not yet identified a cause for the leak. Sabotage has been ruled out, Kansas State Representative Lisa Moser said in a post online Mond...