Keeping it in the Pipe

It goes without saying that we all want oil and gas to stay in the pipe once it's extracted. A key factor in keeping the product in the pipe is to prevent spills and releases from happening in the first place.

This is why the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) puts a lot of emphasis on industry performance. Through the AER's Pipeline Performance Report, companies learn from pipeline incidents and ways to prevent them.

"Pipelines and the products they carry are diverse, so each pipeline must be closely monitored," explains Heather Lemon, manager of industry performance at the AER. "The AER oversees Alberta's pipelines, from design to abandonment, and we expect companies to keep their pipelines safe to prevent incidents from happening," she adds.

This year's report is the fifth in the series since the AER's industry performance program began in 2017. And it appears industry is responding well, as pipeline incidents continue to decline. Compared to 2010, the number of incidents in 2019 was 32 per cent lower, despite the total length of pipelines having grown by 13 per cent.

"Improving performance is about more than analyzing trends or getting companies to comply with our requirements—it's about exceeding expectations and driving companies to continually improve their performance," says Lemon.

Here are some highlights from this year's Pipeline Performance Report.

Jordan Fitzgerald, Writer
Jennifer Wagner, Graphic Designer