Partial operation restored at Manitoba pipeline shut down for maintenance

Imperial Oil logo at the company's annual meeting in Calgary on April 28, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Partial operation was restored at a Manitoba pipeline that was abruptly shut down earlier this year.

The province said in a news release officials were on-site south of St. Adolphe, Man. on Tuesday as Imperial Oil Ltd. restored service to one of two fuel lines at the Winnipeg Products Pipeline.

The repair restores “a partial flow of fuel” through the pipeline, and will significantly reduce the volume of fuel that has to be delivered by rail and truck, the province said.

“Provincial inspectors will continue to monitor the repair operation to ensure all regulations and environmental protection measures are followed as repairs to the second fuel line are completed in order to return the pipeline to full operation,” the province said in a news release.

Pipeline repair for the second line is on schedule, officials say, and is expected to be finished by mid-June.

The pipeline was initially shut down in March following inspections earlier in the year.

It carries gas, diesel and jet fuel from Gretna, near the U.S. border, to Winnipeg and its surrounding area.

According to the company, the line wasn’t compromised and no materials were spilled into the environment.

- With files from the Canadian Press