CEPA launches its first pipeline industry performance report
They’re Canada’s energy highways.
And just as defensive driving is the rule of the road, safety is paramount for pipelines.
Today, the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) released its 2015 pipeline industry performance report, chronicling the collective activities of Canada’s pipeline companies—what we’re doing to improve safety, minimize environmental impacts, and maximize operational reliability.
Committed to Safety, Committed to Canadians is the first such report by CEPA, whose member companies operate about 117,000 kilometers of pipeline in Canada and the United States. From now on, CEPA will be releasing its industry performance report annually.
“We know that we need to build public confidence and trust in our industry, and we think this report will play a big part in that,” says CEPA president and CEO Brenda Kenny, adding that the inaugural performance report is part of CEPA’s wish “to demonstrate to Canadians that we’re serious about earning and keeping their trust.”
On a related note, Enbridge recently released the 2014 Enbridge Safety Report to the Community—which recounts not only the areas where our safety performance was strong, but also where it was not strong enough.
CEPA’s 2015 pipeline industry performance report details the industry’s recent safety performance. It also tells a story of collaboration, co-operation and sharing best practices—because pipeline companies don’t compete in the area of improving safety and reliability.
Some key statistics from CEPA’s 2015 pipeline industry performance report:
- There were 122 crude oil and natural gas spills and releases in 2014. Four of those were categorized as “significant,” while 80 percent occurred within pipeline facilities and the vast majority were minor in nature, such as pinhole leaks.
- More than 45,000 km of pipelines were inspected in 2014 using sensitive, MRI-like inline inspection tools;
- $23 million was invested in innovative technology in 2014, focused on prevention, inspection, and leak detection;
- 335 emergency response drills were held in 2014;
- For any given kilometer of pipeline, there’s a one-in-20,000-year likelihood of a spill larger than 50 barrels.
The 2015 performance report also makes note of CEPA’s Integrity First program—which works with the pipeline industry and the public to ensure best practices are applied and communicated openly.
CEPA members move 97 per cent of Canada’s natural gas and onshore crude oil, delivering about 1.2 billion barrels of liquid petroleum products and 5.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2014.
Visit aboutpipelines.com to find out more on the Committed to Safety, Committed to Canadians report.
