Keystone Pipeline shut down, oil spill in North Dakota

There has been an oil release at milepost 171 of the Keystone Pipeline, according to South Bow, a liquid pipeline business that manages the pipeline.

The incident was made public around 11:30am Tuesday morning, but the company says the shutdown was initiated at 7:42am.

South Bow said in a press release that the control center leak detection system recognized the oil pressure drop. The affected segment has been isolated, and the company says operations and containment resources were mobilized to the site.

“The primary focus right now is the safety of onsite personnel and mitigating risk to the environment,” South Bow said. “We are making appropriate notifications to our regulators, landowners, and customers.”

It’s not clear yet how much oil has spilled, or what caused it.

The Keystone Pipeline runs from Alberta, Canada across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. The pipeline was first constructed in 2010 by TC Energy, and is now managed by South Bow as of 2024.