Alyeska Explains Leak Response, Future Outlook

February 17, 2011|By Ted Land | Channel 2 News

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. officials said Thursday they overcame extraordinary challenges recently when they restarted the Trans-Alaska Pipeline after it leaked oil into a pump station.

They warned that even though they're taking steps to fix problems of low flow and corrosion, they likely won't be in the clear anytime soon.

New company president Tom Barrett led a presentation in the Capitol where he said more than 600 people responded to the incident starting on Jan. 8 and at one point roughly 375 people were gathered at Pump Station 1, the site of the leak.

Meanwhile, the entire line, which was shut down, was cooling off and in danger of freezing.

Barrett said crews worked around-the-clock in temperatures as low as 20 below zero inside the building where they had to open it up to the elements in order to let flammable oil fumes out.

They restarted the line before the leak was completely fixed, Barrett said, because they feared it would become too cold and might not restart the way they hoped.

Alyeska said it's doing all it can to prevent another shutdown, but cautioned lawmakers that what happened last month very well could happen again as water and wax build up in the line – a result of cooling oil and declining throughput.

"I don't have any warm fuzzy feelings about my future tomorrow or the next day," said Alyeska Oil Movements Director Betsy Haines. "I worry because we could shut down tomorrow and maybe be back in the same situation and it doesn't get any rosier going out into the future."

Barrett said his company is considering heating the oil to loosen it up. The Trans-Alaska pipeline was designed as a warm oil pipeline, but during some recent winters the temperature of the crude has gotten down to 32 degrees.

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