Pipeline transportation occurrences in 2020

This document covers federally regulated pipelines only. Any non-federally regulated pipeline data reported to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) are not included in this report.

The TSB gathers and uses these data during the course of its investigations to analyze safety deficiencies and identify risks in the Canadian pipeline transportation system.

It should be noted that certain characteristics of the data constrain statistical analysis and identification of emerging trends. These include the small totals of accidents and incidents, the large variability in the data from year to year, and changes to regulations and definitions over time. The reader is cautioned to keep these limitations in mind when viewing this summary to avoid drawing conclusions that cannot be supported by statistical analysis.

The 2020 data were collected according to the reporting requirements described in the Transportation Safety Board Regulations in force during that calendar year.^{Footnote 1}

The statistics presented here reflect the TSB Pipeline Occurrence Database System (PODS) at 18 March 2021. Since the occurrence data are constantly being updated in the live database as additional information becomes available, the statistics may change slightly over time.

Also, as many occurrences are not formally investigated, information regarding some of the reported occurrences recorded in the database may not have been verified by the TSB.

The pipeline system

In 2020, in the federally regulated pipeline system, 40 companies transported 220 million cubic metres of oil through approximately 21 500 km of oil pipelines (including 19 companies that transported both oil and gas). Also in 2020, 83 companies transported over 180 billion cubic metres of gas through approximately 57 600 km of gas pipelines (including 19 companies that transported both oil and gas). A further 1 500 km of pipelines carried other commodities and substances. Altogether, this represents approximately 16.6 exajoules (EJ) of energy content transported.^{Footnote 2}

Pipeline transportation occurrences

In 2020, there were 81 pipeline transportation occurrences reported to the TSB (Table 1 and Figure 1), none of which were accidents. This number is below the average number of occurrences for the previous 10 years; fluctuations to the reported numbers over this period may result from various factors, including changes to regulations and definitions. On average, from 2010 to 2019, 124 occurrences were reported each year (120 incidents and 4 accidents per year).

There were no accidents, serious injuries, or fatalities arising directly from the operation of any federally regulated pipeline in 2020. Indeed, there have been no fatal accidents on a federally regulated pipeline system directly resulting from the operation of a pipeline since the inception of the TSB in 1990.

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Release of product

Of 81 occurrences in 2020, 18 involved a release of product (Table 5), far lower than the average of 88 per year over the previous 10 years. The products released in the 18 occurrences were as follows (Figure 2): 12 hydrocarbon gas (all were sweet natural gas) and 4 low vapour pressure (LVP) hydrocarbons (three involving crude oil and one, condensate). One occurrence involved the release of high vapour pressure hydrocarbons and one the release of a liquid other than hydrocarbons. In 2020, 63 occurrences did not involve a release of product, well above the average number of occurrences without release over the previous 10 years (36).

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Events other than product release

In 2020, 26 occurrences (32% of 81 total occurrences) involved “geotechnical, hydrotechnical or environmental activity,” for example, slope movements or river erosion that exposed a length of pipe (Table 1 and Figure 3). This was the second-highest level reported over the past 10 years, after the 45 reported occurrences in 2018, and twice the number of reports of this type in 2019 (13). These fluctuations may be related to variations in enforcement and company inspection and reporting practices, as well as changes to weather patterns. Only 4 of 81 occurrences involved “operation of the pipeline beyond limits,” well below the average of 15 occurrences of this type over the previous 10 years. There were 18 reports of pipelines being contacted by an object in 2020, compared with the average of 5 reports per year during the previous 10 years; there were also 6 occurrences where “unauthorized third-party activity affects pipeline structural integrity,” compared with an average of one such occurrence per year over the previous 10 years. Also, five of the 2020 occurrences involved fires (identical to the 10-year average) and two involved explosions (where each of the previous ten years had one or none).

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Geography

The largest number of occurrences in 2020 (29 out of 81) took place in Alberta (Table 2). Ontario had 19 occurrences and British Columbia had 15. Quebec had 6 occurrences, Saskatchewan had 5 and Manitoba had 4. The Northwest Territories had one occurrence and, after reporting no occurrences in 2019, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia reported one each.

Facilities

In the 10-year period 2010–2019, there were 808 occurrences (65%) at facilities and 434 (35%) at locations along pipeline (Table 3). However, in 2020 a solid majority (74%) of the occurrences (60 of 81) occurred at locations along pipeline (Figure 4). This is due in part to the number of reports of geotechnical, hydrotechnical, or other environmental activity that affected sections of pipeline during the year. Of the 21 occurrences at facilities in 2020, 8 occurred at pump stations, 7 at compressor stations, 3 at terminals, 2 at meter stations, and 1 at another facility.

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Pipeline occurrence rate

An occurrence rate of 1.0 occurrences per 1 000 km of operating pipeline was calculated for 2020 based on the 81 occurrences reported and the 80 500 km of federally regulated pipelines that were operational in Canada according to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) during the same year (Table 4 and Figure 5). This occurrence rate is up from 0.7 in 2019, but below the average of 1.7 in the period 2011 to 2019.^{Footnote 4}

An occurrence rate can also be calculated using EJ of energy as a denominator (Table 4 and Figure 5). In 2020, the equivalent of 16.6 EJ of energy was transported in federally regulated pipelines. This translates to a rate of 4.9 occurrences per EJ in 2020, a figure higher than the 2019 rate of 3.0, but below the 2010–2019 average of 8.2 occurrences per EJ.

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Data tables

Definitions

Before 1 July 2014

Before 1 July 2014 (under the previous TSB Regulations), pipeline transportation accidents and incidents were defined as follows:

Pipeline accidents

Reportable commodity pipeline accident means an accident resulting directly from the operation of a commodity pipeline, where

1. a person sustains a serious injury or is killed as a result of being exposed to
   1. a fire, ignition or explosion, or
   2. a commodity released from the commodity pipeline, or
2. the commodity pipeline
   1. sustains damage affecting the safe operation of the commodity pipeline as a result of being contacted by another object or as a result of a disturbance of its supporting environment,
   2. causes or sustains an explosion, or a fire or ignition that is not associated with normal operating circumstances, or
   3. sustains damage resulting in the release of any commodity.

Pipeline incidents

Reportable commodity pipeline incident means an incident resulting directly from the operation of a commodity pipeline, where

1. an uncontained and uncontrolled release of a commodity occurs,
2. the commodity pipeline is operated beyond design limits,
3. the commodity pipeline causes an obstruction to a ship or to a surface vehicle owing to a disturbance of its supporting environment,
4. any abnormality reduces the structural integrity of the commodity pipeline below design limits,
5. any activity in the immediate vicinity of the commodity pipeline poses a threat to the structural integrity of the commodity pipeline, or
6. the commodity pipeline, or a portion thereof, sustains a precautionary or emergency shut-down for reasons that relate to or create a hazard to the safe transportation of a commodity;

Since 1 July 2014

On 1 July 2014, new reporting provisions of the TSB Regulations came into effect; additional clarifications came into effect on 1 January 2019 with respect to these regulations. According to section 4(1) of the TSB Regulations, the operator of a pipeline must report the following pipeline occurrences to the Board if they result directly from the operation of the pipeline:

4 (1) The operator of a pipeline must report the following pipeline occurrences to the Board if they result directly from the operation of the pipeline:

1. a person is killed or sustains a serious injury;
2. the safe operation of the pipeline is affected by
1. damage sustained when another object came into contact with it, or
2. a fire or explosion or an ignition that is not associated with normal pipeline operations;
3. an event or an operational malfunction results in
1. an unintended or uncontrolled release of gas,
2. an unintended or uncontrolled release of HVP hydrocarbons,
3. an unintended or uncontained release of LVP hydrocarbons in excess of 1.5 m³, or
4. an unintended or uncontrolled release of a commodity other than gas, HVP hydrocarbons or LVP hydrocarbons;
4. there is a release of a commodity from the line pipe body;
5. the pipeline is operated beyond design limits or any operating restrictions imposed by the Canada Energy Regulator;
6. the pipeline restricts the safe operation of any mode of transportation;
7. an unauthorized third party activity within the safety zone poses a threat to the safe operation of the pipeline;
8. a geotechnical, hydraulic or environmental activity poses a threat to the safe operation of the pipeline;
9. the operation of a portion of the pipeline is interrupted as a result of a situation or condition that poses a threat to any person, property or the environment; or
10. an unintended fire or explosion has occurred that poses a threat to any person, property or the environment.

Pipeline accidents

A pipeline accident is an occurrence resulting directly from the operation of a pipeline that results in:

1. a loss of human life or a serious injury;
2. a rupture; (i.e., an instantaneous release that immediately impacts the operation of a pipeline segment such that the pressure of the segment cannot be maintained)
3. a fire, ignition or explosion that poses a threat to the safety of any person, property or the environment;
4. an unintended or uncontained release of commodity that results in a significant adverse effect on people or the environment; (i.e. a release of any chemical or physical substance at a concentration or volume sufficient to cause an irreversible, long-term, or continuous change to the ambient environment in a manner that causes harm to human life, wildlife, or vegetation)

Pipeline Incidents

A pipeline incident is:

1. an occurrence in which:
   1. the pipeline sustains damage that affects the safe operation of the pipeline as a result of another object coming into contact with it;
   2. an unauthorized third party activity affects the structural integrity of the pipeline;
   3. a geotechnical, hydrotechnical or environmental activity poses a threat to the safe operation of the pipeline.
2. an occurrence resulting directly from the operation of a pipeline in which:
   1. there is a fire, ignition or explosion that affects the safe operation of the pipeline;
   2. there is an occurrence that results in
      1. an unintended or uncontrolled release of hydrocarbon gas,
      2. an unintended or uncontrolled release of HVP hydrocarbons,
      3. an unintended or uncontrolled release of LVP hydrocarbons in excess of 1.5 m³, or
      4. an unintended or uncontrolled release of a commodity other than hydrocarbon gas, HVP hydrocarbons or LVP hydrocarbons;
   3. there is a release of a commodity from the line pipe body;
   4. the pipeline is operated beyond design limits or any operating restrictions imposed by the Canada Energy Regulator;
   5. the pipeline restricts the safe operation of any mode of transportation.