Ruptures on NEB-regulated pipelines

Background

The National Energy Board (NEB or Board) has accumulated information relating to pipeline rupture events that have occurred during the 40 years the Board has regulated oil and gas pipelines in Canada. Responsibility for investigating a reportable incident rests with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) and the NEB.

This report provides a listing of reportable rupture events in reverse chronological order dating back to 1992. It includes details of the rupture such as: name of the pipeline and the company who operates it; the date of the incident; nearest population centre; the commodity being transported by the pipeline; the immediate cause and the sub-cause of the incident, etc. It also includes a link to the final TSB report, where available.

The Board used the Pipeline Risk Data Dictionary to define the immediate cause and sub-cause of the rupture incidents. Each incident was reviewed so that the definition from the data dictionary could be applied to the original cause definition. The intent of applying the data dictionary definition was to provide consistency and in no way changes the original conclusions as to cause. The Pipeline Risk Data Dictionary is an appendix of CSA Z662-2003 and is not a mandatory part of the standard.

Next steps

The Board intends to continue reviewing historical documents and periodically updating the information as it becomes available. Regulated pipeline companies are invited to provide corrections if the information included in the spreadsheet proves to be incorrect, or if any information is missing.

Disclaimer

Information regarding incidents greater than 10 years old may not be consistent with current investigative practices and is presented for historical perspective only. Such information should be used with caution.

• Canadian Regulated Pipelines - Pipeline Ruptures [EXCEL: 2187 KB]

National Energy Board

Should you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact:

Ken Paulson (kpaulson@neb-one.gc.ca)
Team Leader, Operations Compliance
Operations Business Unit
National Energy Board
Telephone: 403-299-3194 or
toll free: 1-800-899-1265
Telecopier: 403-292-5503 or
or toll free: 1-877-288-8803
TTY (teletype): 1-800-632-1663