Five million litres of oilsands emulsion has been released from a Nexen pipeline near Fort McMurray, the equivalent of more than 31,000 barrels. The pipeline failure occurred roughly 36 kilometres southeast of the city, but fortunately, the spill is mostly along the right of way and has not flowed into any bodies of water.
Nexen’s emergency response plan has been put into action, and the source of the release has been “effectively stopped”. The company has already started cleaning up the affected area and there have been no reported impacts on the public or wildlife so far.
The Alberta Energy Regulator is already on site conducting an investigation.