Work underway to increase capacity to move fuel in Winnipeg amid pipeline shutdown: province

Work is happening to upgrade capacity at fuel terminals in Winnipeg to increase how much fuel can be transported by truck to deliver to gas stations, during a temporary shutdown of an Imperial Oil pipeline carrying gas to the Manitoba capital and cities around it.

Upgrades to that offloading capacity are already complete in Gretna, Man., near the U.S. border, the province said in a news release on Wednesday.

The update comes less than two weeks after Imperial Oil announced it had shut down a line that runs between Gretna and Winnipeg after inspections raised concerns about a section of the pipe under the Red River just south of St. Adolphe.

The line, which carries gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, will be out of service for approximately three months as work happens to replace a section of it, the company initially said.

Last week, some gas stations in Winnipeg weresaying they had run out of fuel.

Imperial Oil has notified the government the company is preparing the worksite south of St. Adolphe where the affected section of the pipeline will be replaced, and that the repair operation is on schedule, according to the province.

In an update on Friday, Imperial Oil said preparations for the pipeline replacement were already underway, and that the company was making efforts to speed up work on the project where possible.

The company said it plans to use a technique called horizontal directional drilling, which it described as "a commonly used approach which minimizes impacts to sensitive or congested areas like water bodies, highways and residential areas."

It said it has "extensive experience" using that technology across Canada, including the replacement of sections of a pipeline in Ontario that was completed in 2022.

Noise bylaw waived for drilling

A spokesperson for Imperial Oil said the company expects to start drilling starting near the end of April. The Rural Municipality of Ritchot has waived its noise bylaw so the company can work 24 hours a day when the drilling begins.

Ritchot chief administrative officer Mitch Duval said the machines can emit sounds ranging from 85 to 100 decibels, which he compared to a large commercial mower.

The government's news release said the amount of gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel within Manitoba has increased since repairs on the pipeline began, and those supplies are being maintained by rail and fuel truck deliveries.

The province said it's closely monitoring fuel supply levels, price impacts, distribution of fuel to retailers and the pipeline repair itself including that it's done promptly and safely without affecting the surrounding environment.

The release repeated statements made last week by government officials, including Premier Wab Kinew, saying the province is "committed to taking additional action as necessary to manage and maintain the supply, distribution and affordability of fuel during the shutdown including legislative and regulatory measures."