TC Energy isolates Columbia gas line section in Virginia, declares force majeure - Reuters

TC Energy isolates Columbia gas line section in Virginia, declares force majeure | Reuters

TC Energy isolates Columbia gas line section in Virginia, declares force majeure

July 25 (Reuters) - TC Energy's (TRP.TO) Columbia Gas Transmission Pipeline on Tuesday declared a force majeure and isolated a section of its "Line VB" pipeline after detecting a pressure drop due to an unplanned incident along Interstate 81 in Strasburg, Virginia.

Canada's TC Energy, best known for its Keystone oil pipeline, in the latest update on its website said the fire along the natural gas pipeline corridor has been extinguished, but did not confirm if the pressure drop was caused by the fire.

There were no reported injuries to workers or members of the public and section of the affected pipeline remains shut, the company said.

"Have established an approximately 1,650-foot (503-m)response radius to ensure the safety of the local community and to support our response efforts; we are asking that the public avoid the area until further notice," it said.

"As a result of the pressure reduction, physical deliveries to the LOUDOUN LNG (LOUDOUN) interconnect have been impacted," Columbia Gas said in a notice to shippers.

A source told Reuters that the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is investigating the rupture associated with the 26-inch natural gas transmission pipeline.

TC Energy said on Monday it will divest a 40% interest in its Columbia Gas Transmission and Columbia Gulf Transmission pipelines for C$5.2 billion ($3.95 billion) to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).

The pipelines span more than 15,000 miles and deliver a substantial portion of daily U.S. natural gas demand, including about 20% of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export supply, according to TC Energy.

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