Line 5 oil pipelines temporarily shut down due to power outage

[Rhiannon12866]

Sixteen sections of underwater oil and gas pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac were found unsupported on the Great Lakes bottom during 2003 inspections — spans of 140 feet or longer, well beyond state requirements for mooring the pipe.

The underwater oil and natural gas pipeline between Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas has been temporarily shut down because of a power outage at an Enbridge terminal in Wisconsin.

Enbridge, the Canadian company that owns and operates Line 5, said in a statement Sunday that the underwater pipelines will remain down until severe weather improves at the Straits of Mackinac. Line 5 will restart as soon as possible.

Gale-force winds of about 40 m.p.h. and a mix of snow and sleet hit northern Michigan on Sunday, causing waves of about five feet in the Straits, according to the National Weather Service.

The temporary shutdown of Line 5 comes days after the discovery of three dents in the pipelines -- a revelation that raised concerns among state officials and others about the severity of the damage. Enbridge described the dents as small and indicated the pipelines' structural integrity had not been compromised.


More (Includes video): https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/04/15/line-5-oil-pipeline-shutdown-power-outage-storm/518909002/



An image from underwater inspections of Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac shows an area of missing protective coating and exposed steel. State officials are concerned, because it appears this damage was caused during the installation of anchor supports for the pipeline, without any repair or reporting of the coating damage.
(Photo: Michigan Department of Environment)

[CentralMass]

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