Leak Reported in Alaska’s Natural Pipeline

(Newsworthy.news) – A recent leak in a pipeline in Alaska is being resolved by officials after an unknown amount of natural gas escaped the line.

The leak occurred on a gas field in Point Thomson, located in the North Slope area of the state. Officials with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have shared that they are unsure how much liquid natural gas condensate was released during the leak, noting that the pipeline operator estimated no more than 11,550 gallons could have been released.

Harvest Alaska LLC—an adjunct company to Hilcorp Energy affiliate Harvest Midstream—explained that the maximum volume of leaked gas would amount to 275 barrels.

A statement from Harvest Alaska’s regional vice president, Andrew Limmer, further specified that the gas leak was found on the evening of January 13. He said his company responded with “immediate action,” quickly “shutting down the pipeline” as well as contacting the necessary state and federal agencies.

According to Limmer, officials have started the process of cleaning up the leak at Point Thomson, which supplies liquid forms of natural gas. The pipeline underwent instant shut down and depressurization procedures once the alarm about the leak went off. No more gas leaked after this step was completed. Though under control, the source of the incident remains under investigation.

A coordinator with the Spill Prevention and Response division of the DEC, Kimberley Maher, also said that, due to far-reaching freezing across the North Slope, the leak “isn’t impacting” nearby waterways or wildlife as far as the agency is aware.

An incident report released by the DEC on January 15 further explained that Harvest Alaska organized an Incident Management Team to assist with ongoing assessment and response to the incident. This team is to consist of the federal Coast Guard as well as the DEC. The report stated that “delineation” of the area where the leak occurred is “completed” and that “mobilization of response resources” in the area is “underway.”