Saskatchewan oil spill cleanup cost Husky $90M

Husky Energy says it has spent about $90 million responding to a pipeline spill in July that sent some 225,000 litres of heavy oil and diluent into the North Saskatchewan River.

The Calgary-based company said Thursday that it believes the amount spent up to Sept. 30, when its most recent quarter ended, represents the cost of the incident, but that could be revised.

The company wrapped up shoreline cleanup efforts earlier this month after recovering about 210,000 litres.

Investigations into the cause of the incident, and the overall impact, are still ongoing, with Husky asking last week for a 30-day extension to file a detailed report on the spill.

Husky now has until Nov. 21 to report on further details of the spill, including a metallurgic review of the failed pipe and a geotechnical report on the land where the failure occurred.

The spill, affecting an area of about 41,500 square metres, forced the Saskatchewan cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort to shut off their water intakes from the river and find other water sources for almost two months.

The company said it expects to recover the associated costs, which have been incurred by Husky Midstream Limited Partnership. Husky is the operator and also holds a 35 per cent interest in the partnership.