Gas flow boosted in pipeline

PRINCE GEORGE — Enbridge Inc. says it is able to increase the flow of natural gas through a pipeline that ruptured near Prince George more than a month ago.

The company said it will gradually increase pressure on a 91-centimetre pipeline to 85 per cent of its normal operating pressure, following an amendment order from the National Energy Board.

The NEB had ordered Calgary-based Enbridge to limit gas flows from the blast site to 80 per cent pressure levels.

Fortis B.C., one of the province’s largest utilities, has said natural gas supply will be reduced during the coldest months of the year as a result of the explosion.

It said Enbridge expects to deliver 60 per cent gas flow by Nov. 22 and up to 85 per cent by December, and that customers still need to conserve until the pipeline’s operating pressure is more fully restored.

Fortis has been getting more fuel from an Alberta pipeline and has B.C. Utilities Commission approval to purchase natural gas on the open market. It also has natural gas reserves in the pipeline south of Prince George, and in its liquefied natural gas storage tanks in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island.

The company said it is conducting safety inspections before restoring gas flows to full operating capacity.

The Oct. 9 explosion ruptured the 91-centimetre natural gas pipeline, but did not damage an adjacent 76-centimetre pipeline.